London, Oct. 30 :    London, Oct. 30:  World stardom beckons a 21-year-old Gujarati girl, Preeya Kalidas, who has landed the coveted lead role in Andrew Lloyd Webber's forthcoming West End musical, Bombay Dreams. 'I'm completely ecstatic,' admits Preeya, in an interview with The Telegraph in London today. 'It has been a big dream of mine to do a stage show like that. Being in the West End is like being on Broadway.' Preeya plays a young assistant film director, also called Priya (but spelt with an 'i'), who dreams of being a successful Bollywood film director just like her father. She was finally selected after four auditions for the much-anticipated musical, which is due to open in late June, 2002, at the Apollo Theatre, Victoria. Preeya, who has always had ambitions of acting in a West End musical, reveals that many years ago, she did audition for a small role in Miss Saigon - this was produced by Lloyd Webber's rival, Cameron Mackintosh. After several recalls, she failed to land a part. 'I was devastated,' she confesses, 'as I knew all the songs.' Andrew Lloyd Webber, together with film director Shekhar Kapur, had been planning his Bollywood musical for over a year. He had been searching for Asian actors who could 'sing, dance and act'. The script for Bombay Dreams is by Meera Syal, and the lyrics by Don Black. The Bollywood composer, A.R. Rahman, has scored the music, and Farah Khan will be doing the choreography. 'The music is amazing and the songs are completely heart-wrenching,' says Preeya. 'It is such a nice fusion and nobody has done it before.' She found Lord Lloyd Webber 'reserved'. He is a man who is constantly thinking about what should be done with the songs and the actual show, she says. Preeya was born and brought up in Twickenham, west London. She has always had a passion for singing and dancing and belonged to a local theatre company called Songtime. Her parents, Kanti and Naina, are very proud of her. 'They have always supported my talent.' Her older brother, Jitesh, saw an article in The Stage, a trade paper for the acting profession, and asked her to audition for the Sylvia Young Theatre School. She was selected and spent five years there, where, alongside studying performing arts, she also did GCSE's. This school specialises in spotting stars and among its alumni are Emma Bunton or Baby Spice; actress Denise Van Outen, who appeared in the musical, Chicago, and Natalie and Nicole Appleton of the pop group All Saints. As a child, Preeya did a lot of work on commercials and appeared in the BBC series, Goggle Eyes. Since leaving school, she has appeared in theatre and also done a couple of short films, Jump Boy and Sari and Trainers. The latter has now become a full-length feature, Bollywood Queen, where Preeya plays Geena, a young girl in love with an English boy. The film will be released in February next year. She also has a part in Gurinder Chadha's forthcoming feature, Bend it Like Beckham. Jeremy Wooding, the co-writer, co-producer and director of Bollywood Queen, spotted Preeya at 17. 'She's a very special lady,' he says. Preeya has a one-year contract for Bombay Dreams and is pleased to be returning to the stage and being a member of the 'original cast' of a new show. 'It is the best time to do it. People remember the original cast and you get to do the album,' she explains. Of course, she watches Bollywood films. 'It is a big part of our culture. The films lift your spirits. My all-time favourites are Sholay and Maine Pyar Kiya.' However, she is not sure whether her involvement in Bollywood-oriented projects will lead her towards the actual industry. 'I grew up here in Britain and I'd rather stick to what I know.'