For a section of Gurugram and Delhi-NCR residents, the memories of visiting the live theatre shows of the Kingdom of Dreams would still be fresh. The Kingdom of Dreams, located in Sector 29 of Gurgaon
in the state of Haryana, hosted popular theatre shows on a grand scale that attracted massive footfall from nearby cities and regions.
A video shared on Instagram reminded the online community of the grand theatre complex, which is left completely abandoned and ignored today. The glowing lights and the razzmatazz of spectacular on-stage performances have given way to the deafening silence inside the complex. Why a once prominent centre of art and entertainment lost its sheen and had to shut shop is a sad story.
Kingdom Of Dreams
Inaugurated in 2010, the Kingdom of Dreams was a grand-scale live theatre complex in the city of Gurgaon. It was co-owned by Apra Group and Wizcraft in a joint venture that came to be known as the Great Indian Nautanki Company (GINC). Spread over 6 acres of land, the Kingdom of Dreams consisted of two auditoriums to serve a large audience for its shows. The complex included the 864-seat Nautanki Mahal and a Showshaa Theatre, which could host 350 people at a time.
At its inauguration, the Kingdom of Dreams witnessed the presence of superstars like Shah Rukh Khan and Priyanka Chopra. Apart from the celebrated duo, it also had Javed Akhtar, Ehsaan Noorani, and Loy Mendonsa enriching the opening ceremony. The opening of the Kingdom of Dreams led to a variety of live theatre shows performed by actors like Hussain Kuwajerwala and Gaurav Gera.
While the Nautanki Mahal hosted the complex’s first original production, the ‘Zangoora’ and later ‘Jhumroo’— a tribute to the life of legendary Kishore Kumar, the Showsaa Theatre entertained audiences with traditional folk-dance performances and ‘The Great Indian Talent Circus’. The complex also included an indoor boulevard, which was designed to showcase India’s cultural heritage.
Why The Shutdown?
It was around the mid-2010s that the Kingdom of Dreams started facing financial constraints, with its name featuring in the news due to extensive money disputes and a lack of timely payments and non-payment to its performers. As the footfall decreased over time and the Covid-19 pandemic forced a pause on operations, the Kindom of Dreams never recovered. However, according to ‘tasteofgurgaon’, it is not just the health hazard that enforced its shutdown.
“It was clear from the word go that the scale of the project was immense. It was running on a high-scale live theatre model. Daily shows, big cast, imported stage technology and therefore, heavy maintenance cost,” mentioned the popular account in a vlog.
“Since the revenue was heavily reliant on footfall, the decline in public appearance and a rigid fixed cost, as well as rising operational expenses, hurt the entertainment complex. The footfall decreased sharply in the 2019-20 period, leading to a complete shut post-COVID lockdown.”
The shut shop was enforced by the Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran in July 2022 when the body initially terminated the lease obtained by the GINC. The move was a response to the reported non-payment of dues of up to Rs 100 crore. However, later that month, Kingdom of Dreams management obtained a stay order on the notice.
