London, June 20 :    London, June 20:  Andrew Lloyd Webber's much-anticipated stage musical, Bombay Dreams, which opened yesterday in the presence of a galaxy of Indian celebrities, including Shah Rukh Khan and Subhash Ghai, appears to have thoroughly confused the British theatre critics whose opinions could save or sink the show. The world premiere of Bombay Dreams, one of the most high-profile Indian events in Britain for many years, was held before 2,000 carefully picked guests at the Apollo Theatre in London's Victoria. Among the clutch of reviews this morning, the Daily Mail and the Daily Express, two big circulation tabloids with seven million readers between them, printed rave reviews, while the heavyweight The Daily Telegraph and The Times expressed serious reservations. The Daily Mirror likes the second half of the musical. The Guardian takes the opposite line to The Times and The Daily Telegraph. On balance, those for Bombay Dreams manage to outweigh the negative lobby. Since the critics have cancelled themselves out, word of mouth, especially among the Indians who have generally been enthusiastic about Bombay Dreams, may secure the immediate future of Andrew Lloyd Webber's riskiest undertaking. The consensus is that the music of A.R. Rahman is excellent, the dancing and costumes spectacular, the standard of acting varied but it is the story by Meera Syal which leaves much to be desired. The Daily Mail calls the show, 'A Bombay Dazzler', and its critic, Michael Coveney, writes: 'Once you enter the spirit, the show, cannily produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber, is a delight.' He says: 'Rahman's riffs, westernised ragas and thumping, rhythmically shifting chorales, with beautiful little vocal variations and wrenching key changes worthy of Lloyd Webber himself at his best, is continuously beguiling.' He is generous, too, to the leads - Raza Jaffrey, who plays Aakash, the slum boy who dreams of becoming a Bollywood star, and Preeya Kalidas, cast as the young director, Priya Kumar, who takes over when her father, Madan Kumar (Dalip Tahil), is shot dead by the underworld. Jaffrey is 'charming and lithe' and Kalidas 'is simply divine', adds Coveney. In the Daily Express, Bombay Dreams - 'London's hottest, most exotic new musical' - is praised for its 'fabulous' songs and 'big dance numbers', and its 'terrific' British Asian cast. The reviewer, Robert Gore-Langton, concludes: 'Great fun, great costumes, and a refreshing change from every other West End show.' Lloyd Webber's breakfast would be spoilt, however, by the reviews by Charles Spencer in the The Daily Telegraph ('Andrew goes to Bollywood but there's no dream ending') and Richard Morrison in the Times ('Exotic Indian recipe, but just where's the meat?'). 'I'd love to report that he has hit the jackpot again, albeit only in a hands-on producer's capacity,' begins Spencer. 'But although there is much to admire in Bombay Dreams - most notably Rahman's wonderfully fresh, exciting and sometimes yearningly romantic score, in which traditional Indian sounds are brilliantly combined with the beats of modern dance music - there is much more that disappoints.' He says: 'Musicals finally stand or fall with the book and Meera Syal's script is a mess.' His highlights included two songs, Shakalaka Baby ('a solid gold hit if I ever heard one') and Chaiya Chaiya. But the acting, according to Spencer, 'ranges from the merely competent to the downright ropey'. The opinion of Richard Morrison in The Times suggests he is not absolutely sure of his ground. He covers himself by commenting: 'I won't say the show is sure to flop. If Shakalaka Baby takes off in the clubs, if the Asian community rallies round, and if enough pulses race at the thought of gyrating damsels in wet saris, Bombay Dreams may yet stagger through the cricket season. But to turn this mishmash into a hot ticket is going to take more than a spoonful of curry powder.' He found Rahman's score 'incredibly catchy' and the choreography of Farah Khan and Anthony Van Laast 'frenetic and self-mockingly lascivious'. But he derides the writing talent as well as the direction of Steven Pimlott. The Guardian's more sympathetic review by Michael Billington includes this passage: 'The highlight is a post-interval number, Chaiya Chaiya, when the stage explodes with thrilling percussive music and a cascade of pink-turbanned dancers expertly drilled by Anthony Van Laast and Farah Khan.' He finds Meera Syal's book 'clumsy, over-plotted' but adds: 'Bombay Dreams is at its best when it sticks to close to the formula it derides.' The Daily Mirror's man, Kevin O'Sullivan, disliked the first half so much he was minded to rename the musical, Bombay Nightmares, but he changed his mind after the interval. He thinks that in Raza Jaffrey 'a singing star is born' and that 'Lord Lloyd Webber has a hit on his hands'. There is so much electricity on first night that there is a tendency on the part of the celebrity guests - and there were many last night from Lady Naipaul to Sir Michael Caine, Bob Geldoff, Spice Girl Emma Bunton, Chris Tarrant, presenter of Who Wants to be a Millionaire, Cilla Black, the singer turned presenter of Blind Date on TV, actresses Denise Van Outen (her micro dress depicted a scene from the Kama Sutra) and Barbara Windsor - to be seduced by the glamour and glitz. The newly-arrived Indian high commissioner, Ronen Sen, and his wife, clearly enjoyed the musical. 'It's quite scintillating,' he said. 'You have to have suspension of disbelief and let the music flow.' The steel tycoon, Lakshmi Mittal, arrived by private jet from America, kept in waiting, took in the show and flew out at midnight to India. 'I'm seeing it a second time - and I am not bored.' Former Miss World Diana Hayden declared: 'It's a clear cross-over.' The director Subhash Ghai said: 'I can see the start of India coming onto the international scene. It's a historic moment when I see Indians performing on the stage and westerners clapping.' Ashutosh Gowarikar, director of Lagaan, summed it up: 'Dazzling! I like the way Rahman has used old tunes to create new music. The feel is fantastic.' Shah Rukh Khan was not sure of the scenes involving statues of Ganesh but overall his reaction, too, was positive. 'It gives us a platform,' he said. One thing is clear: the word Bollywood is here is stay.