Kingdom of Dreams- A dreamy experience

December 19, 2014
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The Culture Gully –  Do you like the idea of walking on the streets
of a city and devouring every item on the Indian street food menu.As you walk inside the big door of The Culture Gully, a big painted sky gives you a feeling of walking in the open with beautiful stall from different states welcoming you with their enticing flavors.
Well lit and tastefully decorated, these stalls look enchanting. The
centre of the culture gully is left open for tables and chairs. People can
enjoy their meals in the imaginary open air.
The states that are represented
by trucks, trains, sand, artisans look flawless and truly transcend you to
these states, literally.
While Bombay had a local train
compartment that had postcards and gift items based on Bollywood theme, the Goa
state with sandy theme attracted children.

The Indian dhaba restaurant is
the one I preferred to dine in. The restaurant looks beautiful with its ambiance
well lit up from every corner. The ceiling had false stars that looked
enchanting. There were manjis or
Indian beds that are usually placed outside dhabas on the Indian highways.

The
smartly dressed servers are prompt in serving their guests on time with efficiency.
We ordered a butter chicken and saag for our lunch accompanied by some Indian
breads. The meal tasted heavenly with the aroma of every Indian spice pleasing
our senses.

After a hearty lunch, we moved on
to another segment of the Culture gully. The shopping fiesta from different
states displayed every little detail that marked its heirloom and tradition from
the states of the country.
Jumroo – A musical performance –
The Jhumroo show that has been
running successfully for more than two years still retains its freshness and youth. Since
its inception in 7th April 2012, Jhumroo is the show music lovers must watch.On my first visit to the show, I
was floored by the brilliant décor and lightning that was seemed similar
to  a bollywood flick plucked from the
golden era. The show had my attention gripping throughout in the 2 hours long-running
musical. Three years is a long time for a musical to stay that peppy.
The celebration of Kishore
Kumar’s contribution in the Indian cinema is enacted by talented performers who
enact the role of a fan ‘Bhola’ who lives for his love, ‘Meena’ and aspires to
become s famous singer one day inspite of the terrible voice he has.
The curtain raises with an
enchanting performance of Rishi Kapoor’s song ‘Om Shanti Om’ with light shows
and music from the surround sound. A brilliant performance from these artisans
coming from every corner adds to the magic touch and gives you a dreamy
feeling. The song ends abruptly as he comes out from his dreams by a slap by
his father.
And enter the character Bhola’s
tryst with his daily humdrums in life. There are several stages that follow the
typical hindi film scenario, but the way it is depicted on the stage is
absolutely worth watching. It makes you believe in dreams.
Our super hero who is a die hard
Kishore fan is possessed by the blessed soul of Kishore Kumar who sings for him.
Quite typical in hindi filsm, Bhola makes it to the final round of the Super Singing Star competition. The live
3 judges who are present in the audience add a touch of reality as they pass
comments to the contestants on the stage. Bhola is however, heartbroken when he
learns that Kishore Kumar’s soul shall no more be present to help him in his
singing career.

The starring roles of Kishore Kumar and his friends have been
seamlessly portrayed by excellent characters who transport you to the Golden
era. Bhola’s father is a hapless ironist, who keeps assuming and discarding his
son’s useless pretentions and belief in becoming a singer one day. When he
finally sees his son’s endeavor, he embraces him lovingly.

Sheer belief in magic and a golden
heart always succeed! In the end, Bhola wins the heart of his beloved and
becomes a super star.The  ability to perform dancing, to sing on key and
to perceive the stage as an earthly paradise or a personal planet is depicted
in the magical performance of the actors. The audience joins in the
celebrations as the actors prompt them to join in the merriment with hooting, cheers
and dancing.
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