Bombay Dreams
Encyclopedia
Bombay Dreams is a Bollywood
-themed musical, with music by A. R. Rahman
, lyrics by Don Black and the book by Meera Syal
and Thomas Meehan
,
and produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber
. The London production opened in 2002 and ran for two years. The musical also was produced on Broadway
in 2004.
. Fate steps in when a rich pro-bono lawyer and his fiancée, an aspiring documentary film
maker, arrive to prevent the demolition of Akaash's slum. Akaash quickly falls in love with the lawyer's fiancée, Priya, who happens to be the daughter of a famous Bollywood director, and the ticket to the top that Akaash needs. Complications arise as Akaash faces the reality of show business
, fame, his love for Priya, and his obligations to his family, friends, and his Paradise slum.
The plot includes frequent reference to the change of name from Bombay to Mumbai
of the titular city and references the identity issues that this raises.
at the Apollo Victoria Theatre
on June 19, 2002 and closed in June 2004. The original cast included Preeya Kalidas
as Priya, Raza Jaffrey
as Akaash, Ayesha Dharker
as Rani, Dalip Tahil
as Madan, and Ramon Tikaram
as Vikram.
The musical opened on Broadway
at The Broadway Theatre on April 29, 2004 and closed on January 1, 2005 after 284 performances. The director was Steven Pimlott, with choreography by Anthony Van Laast
and Farah Khan and scenic and costume design by Mark Thompson. The cast featured Manu Narayan
as Akaash and Madhur Jaffrey
as Shanti. The plot, format and characters of Bombay Dreams were revised several times. The book of the musical was rewritten and many songs were cut and other songs added to the show for the Broadway run.
A new production produced by Atlanta's Theater of the Stars and the Independent Presenters Association started touring North America
in February 2006 at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa, California.
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
-themed musical, with music by A. R. Rahman
A. R. Rahman
Allah Rakha Rahman is an Indian composer, singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and philanthropist. Described as the world's most prominent and prolific film composer by Time, his works are notable for integrating eastern classical music with electronic music sounds, world music genres and...
, lyrics by Don Black and the book by Meera Syal
Meera Syal
Meera Syal MBE is a British comedienne, writer, playwright, singer, journalist, producer and actress. She rose to prominence as one of the team that created Goodness Gracious Me and became one of the UK's best-known Indian personalities portraying Sanjeev's grandmother, Ummi, in The Kumars at No...
and Thomas Meehan
Thomas Meehan
Thomas Meehan , was a noted British-born nurseryman, botanist and author. He worked as a Kew gardener in 1846–1848, and thereafter he moved to Germantown in Philadelphia...
,
and produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...
. The London production opened in 2002 and ran for two years. The musical also was produced on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
in 2004.
Plot
The story centers around Akaash, a young man from the slums of Bombay who dreams of becoming the next big star in BollywoodBollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
. Fate steps in when a rich pro-bono lawyer and his fiancée, an aspiring documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
maker, arrive to prevent the demolition of Akaash's slum. Akaash quickly falls in love with the lawyer's fiancée, Priya, who happens to be the daughter of a famous Bollywood director, and the ticket to the top that Akaash needs. Complications arise as Akaash faces the reality of show business
Film industry
The film industry consists of the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking: i.e. film production companies, film studios, cinematography, film production, screenwriting, pre-production, post production, film festivals, distribution; and actors, film directors and other film crew...
, fame, his love for Priya, and his obligations to his family, friends, and his Paradise slum.
The plot includes frequent reference to the change of name from Bombay to Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
of the titular city and references the identity issues that this raises.
London version
| Song | Singer(s) | Duration | Lyrics | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bombay Awakes | Instrumental Instrumental An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments.... |
2:18 | ||
| Bombay Dreams | Dalip Tahil Dalip Tahil Dalip Tahil is an Indian film, television and theatre actor. He did his schooling from the elite Sherwood College in Nainital, India and later graduated from Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh.-Films:... , Raj Ghatak Raj Ghatak Raj Ghatak is an Asian-born English actor of Hindu Bengali origin. His is best known for his role in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Bollywood musical Bombay Dreams in which he played Sweetie.... , Karen David Karen David Karen Shenaz David is an Indian-born American actress and singer-songwriter who is best known for portraying Francesca Kirby in the BBC series Waterloo Road.- Early life :... & Preeya Kalidas Preeya Kalidas Preeya Kalidas is a British singer and actress of Indian descent. She plays Amira Masood in the soap opera EastEnders. She returned to a career in singing, with her single "Shimmy" being released in July 2010 taken from her debut album Constant Craving, was supposed to be released in September... |
1:09 | Don Black | |
| Like An Eagle | Raza Jaffrey Raza Jaffrey Raza Jaffrey is a British actor, most notable for playing the character of Zafar Younis in the BBC1 television spy drama Spooks / MI-5.-Early life:... & A. R. Rahman A. R. Rahman Allah Rakha Rahman is an Indian composer, singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and philanthropist. Described as the world's most prominent and prolific film composer by Time, his works are notable for integrating eastern classical music with electronic music sounds, world music genres and... |
5:00 | Don Black | Additional Vocals by Maurius de Vries |
| Love's Never Easy | Raj Ghatak Raj Ghatak Raj Ghatak is an Asian-born English actor of Hindu Bengali origin. His is best known for his role in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Bollywood musical Bombay Dreams in which he played Sweetie.... |
4:40 | Don Black | Reworked version, Original: Ishq Bina - Taal Taal (film) Taal is a 1999 Hindi film directed by Subhash Ghai. Taal was an official selection by Roger Ebert for his 2005 Overlooked Film Festival. The film stars Anil Kapoor, Akshaye Khanna, Aishwarya Rai, Amrish Puri and Alok Nath. It was also dubbed in Tamil as Thaalam... |
| Don't Release Me | Dalip Tahil Dalip Tahil Dalip Tahil is an Indian film, television and theatre actor. He did his schooling from the elite Sherwood College in Nainital, India and later graduated from Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh.-Films:... & A. R. Rahman A. R. Rahman Allah Rakha Rahman is an Indian composer, singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and philanthropist. Described as the world's most prominent and prolific film composer by Time, his works are notable for integrating eastern classical music with electronic music sounds, world music genres and... |
3:18 | Don Black | |
| Happy Endings | Preeya Kalidas Preeya Kalidas Preeya Kalidas is a British singer and actress of Indian descent. She plays Amira Masood in the soap opera EastEnders. She returned to a career in singing, with her single "Shimmy" being released in July 2010 taken from her debut album Constant Craving, was supposed to be released in September... & Dalip Tahil Dalip Tahil Dalip Tahil is an Indian film, television and theatre actor. He did his schooling from the elite Sherwood College in Nainital, India and later graduated from Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh.-Films:... |
3:04 | Don Black | Reworked version, Original: Rangeela Re - Rangeela Rangeela (film) Rangeela is a 1995 Hindi film directed by Ram Gopal Varma, and starring Aamir Khan, Jackie Shroff and Urmila Matondkar.Rangeela was music director A. R. Rahman's debut Hindi film with an original score, as the previous ones were dubbed from his Tamil scores... |
| Ooh La La | Andrew Playfoot | 3:07 | Don Black | Reworked version, Original: Ooh La La La - Minsara Kanavu |
| Shakalaka Baby Shakalaka Baby "Shakalaka Baby" is a 2002 single by Preeya Kalidas. The song was composed by A. R. Rahman and was initially featured in his 2002 musical Bombay Dreams. It is a reworked version of the track "Shakalaka Baby" from 1999 Tamil film Mudhalvan, a version of which was also featured in the 2001 Bollywood... |
Preeya Kalidas Preeya Kalidas Preeya Kalidas is a British singer and actress of Indian descent. She plays Amira Masood in the soap opera EastEnders. She returned to a career in singing, with her single "Shimmy" being released in July 2010 taken from her debut album Constant Craving, was supposed to be released in September... & Raza Jaffrey Raza Jaffrey Raza Jaffrey is a British actor, most notable for playing the character of Zafar Younis in the BBC1 television spy drama Spooks / MI-5.-Early life:... |
4:15 | Don Black | Reworked version, Original: Shakalaka Baby - Mudhalvan Mudhalvan Mudhalvan is a 1999 Tamil political thriller film co-written and directed by S. Shankar. The film features Arjun, Manisha Koirala and Raghuvaran in the lead roles with Manivannan, Vijayakumar and Hanifa portraying other significant roles. The film featured an award-winning soundtrack composed by... Additional Vocals by Maurius de Vries |
| Are You Sure You Want To Be Famous? | Preeya Kalidas Preeya Kalidas Preeya Kalidas is a British singer and actress of Indian descent. She plays Amira Masood in the soap opera EastEnders. She returned to a career in singing, with her single "Shimmy" being released in July 2010 taken from her debut album Constant Craving, was supposed to be released in September... , Raza Jaffrey Raza Jaffrey Raza Jaffrey is a British actor, most notable for playing the character of Zafar Younis in the BBC1 television spy drama Spooks / MI-5.-Early life:... & A. R. Rahman A. R. Rahman Allah Rakha Rahman is an Indian composer, singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and philanthropist. Described as the world's most prominent and prolific film composer by Time, his works are notable for integrating eastern classical music with electronic music sounds, world music genres and... |
3:49 | Don Black | Refined version, From: Sona Nahi Na Sahi - One 2 Ka 4 One 2 Ka 4 One 2 Ka 4 is an Indian film directed by Shashilal Nair. The film stars Shahrukh Khan, Juhi Chawla and Jackie Shroff. The music composition is by A.R.Rahman. The film received a lukewarm response at the box office. The usual chemistry between the lead pair was greatly missing in this venture... |
| I Could Live Here | Raza Jaffrey Raza Jaffrey Raza Jaffrey is a British actor, most notable for playing the character of Zafar Younis in the BBC1 television spy drama Spooks / MI-5.-Early life:... |
2:20 | Don Black | |
| Only Love | Preeya Kalidas Preeya Kalidas Preeya Kalidas is a British singer and actress of Indian descent. She plays Amira Masood in the soap opera EastEnders. She returned to a career in singing, with her single "Shimmy" being released in July 2010 taken from her debut album Constant Craving, was supposed to be released in September... |
3:28 | Don Black | |
| Chaiyya Chaiyya Chaiyya Chaiyya "Chaiyya Chaiyya" is a Hindi song from the 1998 Hindi film Dil Se directed by Mani Ratnam.The song was composed by A.R. Rahman, written by Gulzar, and sung by Sukhwinder Singh and Sapna Awasthi. It quickly became popular upon release and its music video gained the same status, partly because it... |
Sukhwinder Singh Sukhwinder Singh Sukhwinder Singh, Born as Sukhi Singh Lubana is an Indian singer best known for working as Bollywood playback artist. Singh is famous for singing "Chaiyya Chaiyya" for which he won the Best Male Playback Award at the 1999 Filmfare Awards. The song, from Mani Ratnam's 1998 film Dil Se, was composed... & Sapna Awasti Sapna Awasthi Singh Sapna Awasthi Singh is a Bollywood playback singer best remembered for her Dil Se song Chal Chaiyya Chaiyya.Sapna is from Bihar and relocated to Mumbai after singing songs in the Nana Patekar-Dimple Kapadia Starrer Krantiveer . She has sung for prominent musicians like Nadeem Shravan , A. R.... |
5:11 | Gulzar Gulzar (lyricist) Sampooran Singh Kalra , known popularly by his pen name Gulzar , is an Indian poet, lyricist and director. He primarily writes in Hindi-Urdu and has also written in Punjabi and several dialects of Hindi such as Braj Bhasha, Khariboli, Haryanvi and Marwari.Gulzar was awarded the Padma Bhushan in... |
Reused version, Original: Chaiyya Chaiyya Chaiyya Chaiyya "Chaiyya Chaiyya" is a Hindi song from the 1998 Hindi film Dil Se directed by Mani Ratnam.The song was composed by A.R. Rahman, written by Gulzar, and sung by Sukhwinder Singh and Sapna Awasthi. It quickly became popular upon release and its music video gained the same status, partly because it... - Dil Se Dil Se Dil Se is a 1998 Hindi film directed by Mani Ratnam. The film stars Shahrukh Khan, Manisha Koirala, and Preity Zinta. Mani Ratnam also co-wrote the screenplay for the film... |
| How Many Stars | Preeya Kalidas Preeya Kalidas Preeya Kalidas is a British singer and actress of Indian descent. She plays Amira Masood in the soap opera EastEnders. She returned to a career in singing, with her single "Shimmy" being released in July 2010 taken from her debut album Constant Craving, was supposed to be released in September... & Raza Jaffrey Raza Jaffrey Raza Jaffrey is a British actor, most notable for playing the character of Zafar Younis in the BBC1 television spy drama Spooks / MI-5.-Early life:... |
3:48 | Don Black | |
| Salaam Bombay | Raza Jaffrey Raza Jaffrey Raza Jaffrey is a British actor, most notable for playing the character of Zafar Younis in the BBC1 television spy drama Spooks / MI-5.-Early life:... & A. R. Rahman A. R. Rahman Allah Rakha Rahman is an Indian composer, singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and philanthropist. Described as the world's most prominent and prolific film composer by Time, his works are notable for integrating eastern classical music with electronic music sounds, world music genres and... |
3:34 | Don Black | |
| Closer Than Ever | Preeya Kalidas Preeya Kalidas Preeya Kalidas is a British singer and actress of Indian descent. She plays Amira Masood in the soap opera EastEnders. She returned to a career in singing, with her single "Shimmy" being released in July 2010 taken from her debut album Constant Craving, was supposed to be released in September... & Raza Jaffrey Raza Jaffrey Raza Jaffrey is a British actor, most notable for playing the character of Zafar Younis in the BBC1 television spy drama Spooks / MI-5.-Early life:... |
5:36 | Don Black | Reworked version, Original: Nahin Samne Nahin Samne Nahin Samne is a Hindi song composed by A. R. Rahman and lyrics by Anand Bakshi for the 1998 bollywood film Taal. The song features vocals by Sukhwinder Singh and Hariharan, who is the main vocalist. Nahin Samne is a soft ramantic number which is well sung by Hariharan. A. R. Rahman is successful... - Taal Taal (film) Taal is a 1999 Hindi film directed by Subhash Ghai. Taal was an official selection by Roger Ebert for his 2005 Overlooked Film Festival. The film stars Anil Kapoor, Akshaye Khanna, Aishwarya Rai, Amrish Puri and Alok Nath. It was also dubbed in Tamil as Thaalam... |
| Ganesh | Instrumental Instrumental An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments.... |
2:14 | ||
| The Journey Home | Raza Jaffrey Raza Jaffrey Raza Jaffrey is a British actor, most notable for playing the character of Zafar Younis in the BBC1 television spy drama Spooks / MI-5.-Early life:... |
4:21 | Don Black | Later reused in Sarah Brightman Sarah Brightman Sarah Brightman is an English classical crossover soprano, actress, songwriter and dancer. She is famous for possessing a vocal range of over 3 octaves and singing in the whistle register... 's album Harem Harem (album) Harem is a 2003 album by English singer Sarah Brightman. It mixes her operatic voice with Middle-Eastern and Indian rhythms and vocals. Thanks to an idea of Frank Peterson, the producer of this album, in the song "Mysterious Days", they included the vocals of the late singer Ofra Haza, who worked... |
| Wedding Qawwali | Sukhwinder Singh Sukhwinder Singh Sukhwinder Singh, Born as Sukhi Singh Lubana is an Indian singer best known for working as Bollywood playback artist. Singh is famous for singing "Chaiyya Chaiyya" for which he won the Best Male Playback Award at the 1999 Filmfare Awards. The song, from Mani Ratnam's 1998 film Dil Se, was composed... |
3:34 | Sukhwinder Singh Sukhwinder Singh Sukhwinder Singh, Born as Sukhi Singh Lubana is an Indian singer best known for working as Bollywood playback artist. Singh is famous for singing "Chaiyya Chaiyya" for which he won the Best Male Playback Award at the 1999 Filmfare Awards. The song, from Mani Ratnam's 1998 film Dil Se, was composed... |
|
| Bombay Sleeps | Instrumental Instrumental An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments.... |
1:05 | ||
| Tak Dheen | Reena Bhardwaj Reena Bhardwaj Reena Bhardwaj is a British Indian singer, songwriter and recording artist best known for her collaborations with AR Rahman and Nitin Sawhney... |
4:41 | Unreleased song, later used in album Shakalaka Baby with vocals by Preeya Kalidas Preeya Kalidas Preeya Kalidas is a British singer and actress of Indian descent. She plays Amira Masood in the soap opera EastEnders. She returned to a career in singing, with her single "Shimmy" being released in July 2010 taken from her debut album Constant Craving, was supposed to be released in September... |
Broadway version
- 1. Salaam Bombay (overture)
- 2. Bollywood
- 3. Love's Never Easy
- 4. Lovely, Lovely, Ladies
- 5. Bhangra
- 6. Shakalaka Baby
- 7. I Could Live Here
- 8. Is This Love?
- 9. Famous
- 10. Love's Never Easy (reprise)
- 11. Chaiyya Chaiyya
- 12. How Many Stars?
- 13. Salaam Bombay (reprise)
- 14. Hero
- 15. Ganesh Procession
- 16. The Journey Home
- 17. Wedding Qawwali
Productions
Bombay Dreams premiered in the West EndWest End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
at the Apollo Victoria Theatre
Apollo Victoria Theatre
The Apollo Victoria Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Wilton Road near Victoria station in the City of Westminster. Opened as a cinema and variety theatre, the Apollo Victoria became a venue for musical theatre, beginning with The Sound of Music in 1981, and including the long-running...
on June 19, 2002 and closed in June 2004. The original cast included Preeya Kalidas
Preeya Kalidas
Preeya Kalidas is a British singer and actress of Indian descent. She plays Amira Masood in the soap opera EastEnders. She returned to a career in singing, with her single "Shimmy" being released in July 2010 taken from her debut album Constant Craving, was supposed to be released in September...
as Priya, Raza Jaffrey
Raza Jaffrey
Raza Jaffrey is a British actor, most notable for playing the character of Zafar Younis in the BBC1 television spy drama Spooks / MI-5.-Early life:...
as Akaash, Ayesha Dharker
Ayesha Dharker
Ayesha Dharker is a British-Indian actress. She is known for her performance in the Tamil Indian film, The Terrorist , for which she was awarded Best Artistic Contribution by an Actress at the Cairo International Film Festival and nominated for a Chlotrudis Award and National Film Award for Best...
as Rani, Dalip Tahil
Dalip Tahil
Dalip Tahil is an Indian film, television and theatre actor. He did his schooling from the elite Sherwood College in Nainital, India and later graduated from Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh.-Films:...
as Madan, and Ramon Tikaram
Ramon Tikaram
Ramon Pramod Junior Tikaram is a British stage and screen actor of Indo-Fijian and Malaysian descent.-Early and personal life:...
as Vikram.
The musical opened on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
at The Broadway Theatre on April 29, 2004 and closed on January 1, 2005 after 284 performances. The director was Steven Pimlott, with choreography by Anthony Van Laast
Anthony Van Laast
Anthony Van Laast is a choreographer, mainly for the stage, concerts, television and film. His works have appeared in the West End and on Broadway.-Career:Van Laast was born in Sussex, UK...
and Farah Khan and scenic and costume design by Mark Thompson. The cast featured Manu Narayan
Manu Narayan
Manu Narayan is an American actor. He has been hailed as a "promising young star...a compelling actor and outstanding singer who can light up a stage with sheer force of personality." Manu has starred on Broadway, and co-stars as Rajneesh alongside Mike Myers in the Paramount Pictures' Film The...
as Akaash and Madhur Jaffrey
Madhur Jaffrey
Madhur Jaffrey is an Indian actress and food writer who introduced the Western world to the many cuisines of India.- Personal life :...
as Shanti. The plot, format and characters of Bombay Dreams were revised several times. The book of the musical was rewritten and many songs were cut and other songs added to the show for the Broadway run.
A new production produced by Atlanta's Theater of the Stars and the Independent Presenters Association started touring North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
in February 2006 at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa, California.
Awards and nominations
- Tony Award for Best Costume DesignTony Award for Best Costume DesignThese are the winners and nominees for the Tony Award for Best Costume Design. The award was first presented in 1947 and included both plays and musicals...
- Mark Thompson (nominee) - Tony Award for Best ChoreographyTony Award for Best Choreography-1940s:* 1947: Agnes de Mille – Brigadoon / Michael Kidd – Finian's Rainbow* 1948: Jerome Robbins – High Button Shoes* 1949: Gower Champion – Lend An Ear-1950s:* 1950: Helen Tamiris – Touch and Go* 1951: Michael Kidd – Guys and Dolls...
- Anthony Van Laast (nominee), Farah Khan (nominee) - Tony Award for Best OrchestrationsTony Award for Best Orchestrations-1990s:1997*Jonathan Tunick – Titanic**Michael Gibson - Steel Pier**Luther Henderson - Play On!**Don Sebesky and Harold Wheeler - The Life1998*William David Brohn – Ragtime**Robert Elhai, David Metzger and Bruce Fowler - The Lion King...
- Paul Bogaev (nominee) - Drama Desk AwardDrama Desk AwardThe Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
Outstanding Choreography (nominee) - Drama Desk Award Outstanding Orchestrations (nominee)
- Drama Desk Award Outstanding Set Design of a Musical (nominee)
- Drama Desk Award Outstanding Costume Design (nominee)
External links
- Internet Broadway Database listing for Bombay Dreams
- Brown on Broadway
- Bombay Dreams at reallyuseful.com
- Soundtrack
- Ayesha Dharker and Manu Narayan - Downstage Center interview at American Theatre Wing.orgAmerican Theatre WingThe American Theatre Wing is a New York City-based organization "dedicated to supporting excellence and education in theatre," according to its mission statement...