Kingdom of Dreams to open at 10 destinations in China
By IANSMonday, December 6, 2010
NEW DELHI - After mesmerising Indians with its grandeur, Gurgaon-based live entertainment destination Kingdom of Dreams is all set to expand — it will soon offer a sneak peek into India’s vibrant culture to as many as 10 destinations in China.
China-based stage equipment supplier Zhejiang Dafeng Industry Company Limited has signed a joint venture with the Great Indian Nautanki Company (GINC), co-owned by Wizcraft International Entertainment and Apra Group of Companies, to launch the leisure hotspot in China.
The deal was sealed Saturday, informs Anumod Sharma, managing director, GINC.
“I travelled to China around a-month-and-a-half back to arrange auditorium chairs for the Showshaa Theatre at Kingdom of Dreams, from Dafeng. I took the CD of our musical ‘Zangoora: The Gypsy Prince’ and they were quite impressed. They came down to India and saw Kingdom of Dreams, as well as our musical and now want a similar destination in China,” Sharma told IANS.
Kingdom of Dreams, a Rs.1.5 billion project, boasts of three distinct domains — a food boulevard Culture Gully, a huge hall Nautanki Mahal which houses a Bollywood musical everyday, and a yet-to-be-opened Showshaa Theatre.
Sharma says the destination would be a hit in China because of the colour and razzmatazz it has on offer.
“China may have the best of technologies, but there is a sheer lack of entertainment facilities. There is hardly any song-and-dance culture, their films are mostly action-based, their dance forms are very mild… So the colour, vibrancy, joy of Indian culture will be a welcome change there… Bollywood and Indian dancing will be a hit over there,” said Sharma.
The first Kingdom of Dreams will be launched in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province, over a 65,000 square metre area. It is expected to be launched in the second half of 2012, following which one such destination will open shop in “tourist and commercial cities” such as Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province. The entire project will cost $100 million and the expenses will be shared equally by GNIC and Dafeng.
The size of Kingdom of Dreams might be bigger in China, but the Indian touch and construction will remain the same, said Sharma.
In the meantime, “Zangoora: The Gypsy Prince”, the ongoing Bollywood musical at Kingdom of Dreams is also going places.
“‘Zangoora’ might be showcased in Las Vegas if everything works out well. We will be visiting there in January to take the deal forward. We are also in advance talks with the Singapore tourism board to showcase it, and there is also a private party in UK where our ‘Zangoora’ stars might perform,” said Sharma, who feels travelling across the globe with the musical will help in recovering its production costs.
Starring Hussain Kuwajerwala, Gauhar Khan and Kashmira Irani in the leads, “Zangoora: The Gypsy Prince” is a tale about a boy who grows up to be a gypsy dancer, unaware of his real identity of a prince. The show is replete with everything Bollywood — romance, emotion, drama, magic, action and lots of dance.
