Zangoora – The Gypsy Prince, the most expensive musical theatrical extravaganza produced in India so far, is running to packed houses on weekends at Kingdom of Dreams, the recently launched live entertainment hub in Gurgaon, thanks to bulk bookings by corporate houses. The footfall on weekdays have been quite robust at around 65 per cent.
Following such encouraging response the production has received since its release last Tuesday, Kingdom of Dreams director Viraf Sarkari is looking at scripting its success overseas. “We are showcasing eight shows every week at present, and all of them are running to full houses. We have got bulk bookings from corporate houses. Kingdom of Dreams is in talks to take the concept overseas”, informed Sarkari.
If all goes well, Zangoora may well open to audiences at Broadway in New York , West End in London and in Las Vegas sometime next year. “The same concept, the same show in fact can be run on foreign shores,” Sarkari added.
Industry sources said corporate sponsors Kingfisher Airlines and Pepsico have invested between Rs 4 crore and Rs 5 crore together in the venture, which has been produced at a budget of Rs 25 crore. Kingfisher Airlines and Pepsico want to be the airlines and beverages partner, respectively. Actor Shah Rukh Khan has also agreed to endorse the venture. Besides, companies like Gcelltechnologies, Raghbeer Group of Companies, Harman and Phonographic Performance Ltd have also stepped in to sponsor the project.
Zangoora is India’s first musical produced on such an extensive scale. In 2002, Bombay Dreams, another Bollywood themed musical was produced by Andrew Llyod Webster based on a book by Meera Syal. It was showcased at West End and later at Broadway in 2004. Globally, The Phantom of the Opera and Mama Mia are acclaimed favourites running for over 20 years and 12 years respectively.
Zangoora which flirts across genres — action, romance, drama — recounts the travails of a newborn prince brought up by a childless gypsy couple after the murder of his parents by an evil general. The story written by lyricist Javed Akhtar has been set to the tunes of composers Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy.
The shows are being run at Nautanki Mahal, a state-of-the-art 4D theatre at the Kingdom of Dreams. The 848-seater theatre, which spans across nine stories, is the largest of the kind in the country with all the latest comforts. Tickets are priced between Rs 1,000 and 6,000. With eight shows being run every week, promoters are expecting to recover costs in 2-3 years.
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The pricing may well put the production out of reach of most consumers. Sarkari, however, dismissed such concerns. “One production costs is more than a good Bollywood film and if you go for a Broadway show, the seats are pretty crammed. Here we are providing luxury with drinks, snacks, comfortable arm chairs. Indian consumers today have adequate income at disposal and we will find takers.”
Also coming up early next year are three more productions, Kingdom of Dreams is working on. One of them, ‘Balle Balle My Big Fat Indian Wedding’ is being developed on the lines of a quintessential Indian wedding where the audience would be made to wear ‘pagdis’ and received as guests in the party.
Kingdom of Dreams is an initiative of Great India Nautanki Company, which is a joint venture between Wizcraft International Entertainment, an entertainment and communications company, and Apra Group of Companies which has business interests in the real-estate hospitality and automotive sectors.