Kingdom of Dreams

Kingdom of Dreams is an entertainment complex located in the Indian city of Gurgaon. Owned by the Great Indian Nautanki Company (GINC), a joint venture between Apra Group and Wizcraft, and opened in 2010, the 6 acres (24,000 m2) facility consisted of two auditoriums, the 864-seat Nautanki Mahal, the 350-seat Showshaa Theatre, and an indoor cultural "boulevard" featuring dining, crafts, and entertainment.

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 useEntertainment complex
Opened18 September 2010 (2010-09-18)
Years active2010-2021
Website
www.kingdomofdreams.in

The complex was closed in July 2022 by the Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HVSP), in a dispute over unpaid lease payments for the complex's property.

History

The complex was inaugurated on 29 January 2010, by Chief Minister of Haryana Bhupinder Singh Hooda, with appearances by Javed Akhtar, Ehsaan Noorani, and Loy Mendonsa. It is a project of The Great Indian Nautanki Company, a joint venture between events firm Wizcraft International Entertainment and real estate developer Apra Group.[1] The companies described Kingdom of Dreams as being a complex "where ethnic Indian culture meets modern entertainment", and compared it to New York City's Broadway.[2]

The Culture Gully portion of the complex opened on 30 July 2010.[2] On 28 August 2010, the official song of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, "Jiyo Utho Bado Jeeto", was presented during a promotional event at the complex.[3][4] Kingdom of Dreams officially opened to the public on 18 September 2010.[5] On 19 September 2010, actor Shah Rukh Khan was announced at the complex's "global ambassador".[6]

After its successful opening, GINC disclosed plans to potentially open a second, larger Kingdom of Dreams complex in Mumbai, and similar complexes internationally in China, Dubai, Singapore, South Africa, as well as the United States (with a particular focus on Las Vegas and a potential partnership with real estate developer Steve Wynn).[7][8]

In the mid-2010s, the complex began to face financial difficulties. In 2014, Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP, formerly Haryana Urban Development Authority) opened an investigation into Kingdom of Dreams' finances after a ₹39.2 million cheque for a lease payment bounced.[9] GINC and HSVP engaged in a legal dispute over the non-payment.[10] In 2016, actor Gaurav Gera—who played in its show Jhumroo—accused its owners of not having paid him dues for at least two and a half years,[11][12] and launched a social media campaign to call out the show's producer Gagan Sharma.[13] By then, its owners had owed ₹420 million in unpaid lease payments.[9] In October 2018, HSVP appointed Grant Thorton as a consultant to seek a new operator for the facility.[10]

The complex was further impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.[9] In July 2022, HSVP terminated GINC's lease, and subsequently locked the property.[9] Later that month, GINC obtained a stay on the termination.[14][9]

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

Nautanki Mahal is Kingdom of Dreams' main theatre hall; the 864-seat, palace-themed auditorium opened with its first original production, the "Bollywood musical" Zangoora.[15] In April 2012, the theatre opened a second production, Jhumroo, based on the life of Kishore Kumar.[16]

The Showshaa Theatre is a 350-seat domed amphitheater on the complex; its programming included productions of traditional folk performances such as Ramlila, as well as The Great Indian Talent Circus and the wedding-themed musical The Big Fat Indian Wedding Show.[15][2]

Culture Gully is a 48,500 sq ft (4,510 m2) indoor "boulevard" designed to showcase Indian culture, including artwork reflecting each state of India, restaurants featuring chefs from across the country, artisan and craft stores, a dry massage parlor, and street performers. Its entryway features a sculpture of 20 ft (6.1 metres)-tall lotus petals, adorned with mirrors.[2][17][3][4] A Bollywood-themed bar and restaurant known as the IIFA Buzz Lounge is also featured in the area, which included memorabilia related to Bollywood films (including posters, props and costumes, and an IIFA trophy).[18]

References
  1. "A taste of Bollywood and Broadway at Gurgaon's Kingdom of Dreams". Indian Express. 1 February 2010. Archived from the original on 20 May 2018. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  2. "India Shining?". Indian Express. 28 July 2010. Archived from the original on 10 October 2012.
  3. Venugopal, Veena (1 May 2010). "Lounge preview | Kingdom of Dreams, Gurgaon". mint. Archived from the original on 29 August 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  4. Madhur Tankha (17 August 2010). "Rahman sings the CWG theme song". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Archived from the original on 20 August 2010. Retrieved 17 August 2010.
  5. "Kingdom of Dreams formally opens to public". The Times of India. 18 September 2010. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012.
  6. "Shah Rukh Khan named Kingdom of Dreams' global ambassador". Hindustan Times. 19 September 2010. Archived from the original on 19 October 2010.
  7. Mukherjee, Sharmistha (1 July 2011). "Wizcraft, Apra plan Kingdom of Dreams 2". Business Standard India. Archived from the original on 29 August 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  8. "'Kingdom of Dreams' on its way to China; LA could be next". Hindustan Times. 5 December 2010. Archived from the original on 29 August 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  9. Livemint (17 July 2022). "Gurugram's Kingdom of Dreams sealed, here is why". mint. Archived from the original on 29 August 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  10. Singh, Rao Jaswant (27 July 2018). "Consultant to help Huda find agency to operate KoD". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 29 August 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  11. "Gaurav Gera: Wizcraft has money to pay SRK but don't have money to pay my dues". Times of India. 5 July 2016. Archived from the original on 8 July 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  12. "Gaurav Gera: Gaurav Gera Moves Court". Mumbai Mirror. 7 July 2016. Archived from the original on 7 July 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  13. "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. Archived from the original on 8 July 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  14. "KoD obtains stay order on HSVP lease termination". Hindustan Times. 20 July 2022. Archived from the original on 29 August 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  15. "Nautanki gets permanent home in Kingdom of dreams". The Times of India. 30 January 2010. Archived from the original on 11 August 2011.
  16. "A day full of fun at Gurugram's Kingdom of Dreams". Times of India Travel. Archived from the original on 29 August 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  17. "Art & Culture: Opulence redefined". Hindustan Times. 30 July 2010. Archived from the original on 3 October 2010.
  18. "Fan Fare". Indian Express. 1 September 2010. Archived from the original on 10 October 2012.
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