Bollywood in Dubai
For some travellers there’s nothing better than experiencing a taste of home when they are, well, far away from home. This is exactly what Bollywood Parks Dubai offers those who love all things Indian. Opening in October 2016, this will be the first theme park in the world dedicated to Bollywood. The massive Dubai theme park will be spread across 1.7 million square feet and is located inside the $2.8 billion Dubai Parks and Resort project. The space will also be home to a number of diverse theme parks, such as the Hollywood-inspired Motiongate and the popular LEGOLAND theme parks.
Dubai is home to around 2.6 million Indian expats, making it the largest expat community in the country and constituting around 30% of the total population. Indiatimes.com puts India as the biggest source of Dubai’s foreign tourists, with 1.6 million Indians visiting the UAE in 2015 alone. It is also a hugely popular holiday destination for people from all over the world, including over 1 billion Bollywood fans.
Highlights at Bollywood Park Dubai
The Park will be divided into five distinct Bollywood-inspired zones. These are:
- Rustic Ravine – A colourful rural Indian village featuring the Champaner Cricket Carnival, a 3-D Interactive ride called Sholay: The Hunt for Gabbar Sing and the Dabangg: Stunt Spectacular Show.
- Royal Plaza – Emulates the splendor of the Rajmahal Theatre offering song and dance shows, fine dining and the region’s first Broadway-style Bollywood musical
- Bollywood Film Studio and Hall of Heroes. Features street-food stalls, Madhuri-inspired rain dances and 4-D flying theatre rides with Bollywood icon Krrish or RA.One: Unleashed.
- Bollywood Boulevard – Where guests can get a glimpse of the behind-the-scenes of a Bollywood movie production or enjoy delicious Indian food while listing to live Hindi songs.
- Mumbai Chowk – Shows atop a train rooftop stage with actors performing popular songs while celebrating the Taporis of Mumbai, an immersive 3-D media tunnel ride taking you on an epic chase through the city.
Aside from the top-notch entertainment, the Park plans to hold around 30 live shows in theatres across the park.
Lovers of Indian food will not be disappointed. With no fewer than six Indian restaurants to choose from, you can look forward to Punjabi dhaba, Maharashtrian coastal curries, Tamil and Mughlai delicacies, street food favourites and the famous Juhu juices and Indian ice creams.
Eight retail stores take care of all serial shoppers’ cravings. There’s a choice of authentic memorabilia from rural India, the best shopping goodies straight from Bombay, exclusive Mughal-E-Azam merchandise, Bollywood memorabilia, as well as theme park shops and booths where you can pose with fun movie props.
