/> The quant idyllic town of Spoleto had its first performance of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's opera Padmavati on Friday night.

The Italians, past-masters at staging and appreciating operas, gave Sanjay and his troop a standing ovation.

Speaking on the night after the performance the director said, "This was a much smaller far more intimate theatre than the one in Paris which was huge.

So we had far more limited space on stage and a much more compact audience.Also the cast from Paris was changed. So I had to start in Spoleto from scratch, get familiar with the the new environment and the cast."

The 1800-strong audience gave the film a standing ovation and shouted 'Bravo bravo' on Friday night.

Sanjay Bhansali left for the scenic mountainous operatic village of Spoleto in Italy last week for the Italian Festival where Padmavati and 4 of his films (Khamoshi, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Black and Saawariya) are being screened.

While a sizeable part of the Parisian crew has changed in Italy, the elephant and tiger which formed a part of the elaborate staged opera in Paris remain the same.

And the elephant, belonging to a breed known for its memory, immediately recognized Sanjay Bhansali. So much so that during the rehearsals leading up to the first performance on 27 June the elephant followed the director's instructions with complete fidelity.

Quite a Haathi Mere Saathi here.

The tiger was harder to deal with. Since it made its appearance in the Parisian version of Padmavati, the tiger has grown bigger and quite intimidating to the chorus dancers who ran to the other end of the stage during rehearsals each time the tiger roars.

The village of Spoleto, completely unused to an elephant, turns out in droves each morning as the elephant named Baby walks from her posh hotel to the venue of the rehearsals.

Speaking from Spoleto, Sanjay says "To bring an opera to a country where this genre originated is to me a matter of great pride. I feel more challenged here than I did in Paris. Everyone who attends my two shows on (July 27 and 29 ) will be a seasoned opera aficionado. I can't afford to slip up."

Sanjay says Spoleto is his favourite spot in the world. "The quaint little streets, the fresh air, the fruits and milk...I could just move to Spoleto right now. I think I've created one more star in the elephant, Baby. She too got a standing ovation."

The opera now moves to Brazil at the end of the year.