Kingdom of Dreams

Kingdom of Dreams is India's first live entertainment, theatre and leisure destination.[1] It is located in Sector 29, Gurgaon, Haryana in NCR Delhi, near the Leisure Valley Park. It was inaugurated on 29 January 2010 by the Chief Minister of Haryana[1]Choudhary Bhupender Singh Hooda and opened to public on 18 September 2010 by Union Minister of Tourism, Kumari Selja. The opening showcased a special preview of the Bollywood musical, Zangoora, starring Hussain Kuwajerwala, Gauahar Khan and Kashmira Irani.[2] Spread over 6 acres (24,000 m2) and built at a cost of over Rs. 2 billion, Kingdom of Dreams is run by the Great Indian Nautanki Company (GINC), a joint venture between Apra Group and Wizcraft.

Kingdom of Dreams
Culture Gully and Nautanki Mahal auditorium, Kingdom of Dreams, Gurgaon
AddressSector 29, Gurgaon, Haryana, India
Coordinates28°28′5″N 77°4′9″E
OwnerThe Great Indian Nautanki Company
Current useLive entertainment, theatre, culture and food boulevard
Opened2010
Years active2010-present
Website
www.kingdomofdreams.in

The destination consists of two theatres, Nautanki Mahal and the Showshaa Theatre, and a cultural and cuisine area known as Culture Gully.[3][4]

Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan was named the global ambassador of Kingdom of Dreams on 19 September 2010.[5][6] The 2010 Commonwealth Games' official theme song, Jiyo Utho Bado Jeeto by composer A R Rahman was launched in the complex on 28 August 2010, with a performance by Rahman, accompanied by dance performances by Hussain Kuwajerwala, Gauhar Khan and Kashmira Irani, on the theme of Zangoora - The Gypsy Prince.[7]

History

The complex was inaugurated on 29 January 2010, by Chief Minister of Haryana Bhupinder Singh Hooda, with Bollywood personalities and lyricist Javed Akhtar, Ehsaan and Loy, music composers of musical Zangoora. It is a project of The Great Indian Nautanki Company jointly owned by Wizcraft International Entertainment and Apra Group.[8]

Nautanki Mahal
Kingdom of Dreams auditorium, Nautanki Mahal, where the musical Zangoora was inaugurated in 2010

Nautanki Mahal is an 864-seat auditorium within the complex and is designed like a grand palace.[1] Indian and international productions are staged there.

The auditorium holds a hydraulic stage, automated fly bars, and a matrix sound system that makes the theatre experience real.

Nautanki Mahal opened with its first original live Bollywood musical Zangoora - The Gypsy Prince, starring, Hussain Kuwajerwala, Gauahar Khan, Kashmira Irani and Sadanand Patil. Music for the musical was composed by Bollywood composers, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, the story, screenplay and dialogues are by Javed Akhtar, Dance direction and choreography were by Shiamak Davar, costumes by Neeta Lulla, while stunt direction was by Alan Amin.[1]

GINC launched a musical comedy Jhumroo on 7 April 2012. Jhumroo is a tribute to Kishore Kumar and his legacy to music and Bollywood. The musical comedy features 19 retro songs of Kishore Kumar's.

Jhumroo is the story of Bhola, a guy next door who wants to make it big in Bollywood as a singer and profess his love to Meena. Television stars Gaurav Gera and Shweta Gulati play the lead roles of Bhola and Meena respectively. Since Feb 2016 Bollywood Actor Anshuman Jha has revived the show as Bhola. The production was directed by Vikranth Pawar, the associate director of Zangoora – The Gipsy Prince.

Nautanki Mahal has the Maharaja Lounge that serves snacks and drinks during the show interval.

Culture Gully

Culture Gully is the arts, crafts and food boulevard at the Kingdom of Dreams. It is fully ac boulevard spread across 100,000 square feet (9,300 m2), with theme restaurants and live kitchens from 14 states of India, represented with their representative architecture and decor. Culture Gully, one of the center attractions of Kingdom of Dreams, is an elaborate boulevard of culture, arts & crafts and cuisines under India's first ever sky dome.

Each state pavilion's architecture has something unique.

Other than regional delicacies, the state pavilions hosts street performances, artisans and handicraft stores.[1][9] This "Indoor street of India" has a mystic center and massage center that provides "Dry" massage. Opened in July 2010, the entrance to the indoor boulevard is through a 20 ft (6.1 m) gateway, made with Golden lotus petals sparkling with tiny mirrors.[10]

Showshaa Theatre

Showshaa Theatre is a 350-seater covered amphitheatre, complete with a soaring tent. Multiple theatrical performances take place here including productions based on Indian mythology.

IIFA Buzz Lounge

The IIFA Buzz Lounge, a Bollywood-themed resto-bar on the first floor of Culture Gully. It also showcases Bollywood memorabilia, the IIFA Awards trophy, movie costumes and posters. It was launched on 1 September 2010 by actor, Salman Khan.[11]

Controversies

The authorities of Kingdom of Dreams have come under flak for not paying artists who perform in their stage show productions. Actor Gaurav Gera, who played the role of Bhola in the show Jhumroo at Kingdom of Dreams, has sent a legal notice[12] to the makers for not paying his dues amounting to 46 lakh for 2.5 years.[13] Gaurav has also started a social media campaign to draw support for complaining against producer Gagan Sharma for not making the payment.[14]

References
  1. "Nautanki gets permanent home in Kingdom of dreams". The Times of India. 30 January 2010.
  2. "Kingdom of Dreams formally opens to public". The Times of India. 18 September 2010.
  3. "Kingdom of Dreams, Gurgaon". Live Mint. 1 May 2010.
  4. Madhur Tankha (17 August 2010). "Rahman sings the CWG theme song". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Retrieved 17 August 2010.
  5. "Shah Rukh Khan named Kingdom of Dreams' global ambassador". Hindustan Times. 19 September 2010. Archived from the original on 19 October 2010.
  6. "Shah Rukh is Kingdom of Dreams' global ambassador". Economic Times. 19 September 2010. Archived from the original on 23 September 2010.
  7. "Jiyo, Utho, Badho, Jeeto..." Indian Express. 29 August 2010.
  8. "A taste of Bollywood and Broadway at Gurgaon's Kingdom of Dreams". Indian Express. 1 February 2010. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  9. "Art & Culture: Opulence redefined". Hindustan Times. 30 July 2010. Archived from the original on 3 October 2010.
  10. "India Shining?". Indian Express. 28 July 2010. Archived from the original on 10 October 2012.
  11. "Fan Fare". Indian Express. 1 September 2010. Archived from the original on 10 October 2012.
  12. "Gaurav Gera: Gaurav Gera Moves Court". Mumbai Mirror. 7 July 2016.
  13. "Gaurav Gera: Wizcraft has money to pay SRK but don't have money to pay my dues". Times of India. 5 July 2016.
  14. "Gaurav Gera Is Fighting It Out With An Event Agency For Unpaid Dues And It's A Lesson For All Freelancers". India Times. 5 July 2016.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.