First Look Bollywood Parks Dubai

I travelled with my husband and family friend from Seattle, Washington to Dubai with a childlike glee to be able to see the very first-of-its-kind Bollywood theme park. As one of the most passionate Bollywood fans, I had to see with my own eyes just what treasures would be found in such a place. We were fortunate enough to get a sneak peek while it was still under the last of its construction and conducting soft openings. We were guided by Mr. Nikhil ji, who manages the front of house ticketing operations which is a team of 30+ people. He was so very kind to take time out of his day to let us explore this oasis in the desert.

We first arrived to a gorgeous common area that connects all of the Dubai Parks and Resorts properties; Legloland Dubai, Legoland Waterpark, Bollywood Parks Dubai, Motiongate Dubai, Riverland Dubai. It is very reminiscent to my childhood at Disney World where there are themes, music, shopping and restaurants. I arrived early and took some time to explore before we were let in for the Bollywood tour. When you are dropped off by the taxi entrance like we were, guests will be greeted by McDonalds, of course. I felt lucky to find  a Starbucks to refresh myself and charge up energy, and since I am not used to the heat, stopped by Ella's Ice Cream. Ella's is named after the owner's daughter and is precisely like an American creamery circa 1950s.

This is such a large area with integrated theme parks so the many offerings of the vendors here are vast and international. You can find worldwide cuisines, stroll along the river where buildings take on a French theme, shop for Dubai specific gifts to bring home, and feel an overall warm welcoming feeling. I assure you it wasn't just the heat. We were greeted by many of the people working in the kiosks selling snacks and drinks. Everyone with whom we spoke to were so hospitable and seemed extremely excited. This has been a project under construction for 2 years and its now about to become fully functional.

There had been some soft openings for the Bollywood park to friends and family, the people who helped to build the park, media, and special guests. I was a little unlucky due to some rescheduling and didn't get to experience the limited operations in the park that the guests saw, but since I travelled from America, I was so honored to be given a tour inside while they finish construction. This felt like a dream come true, as I know I'll be able to experience the park as a customer in the future. At the moment the grand opening is expected to be on November 15th.  I watched from afar as the main gate was being installed that customers would walk through with their tickets (season pass, daily, and park hopper) and enter the 5 different zones that are offered. Bollywood Boulevard, Mumbai Chowk, Rustic Ravine, Royal Plaza, and Bollywood Film Studios. I am so grateful for Mr. Nikhil to take three of us through personally.

We started on Bollywood Boulevard where the largest restaurant is operated on site; The Jumbo Cafe  is resting on the backs of two beautifully decorated elephants. While admiring the fine level of detail given to the architecture, paint, and décor we discussed how the flow of traffic was designed. During the soft openings the park was reaching 3000 daily visitors. The expectation is as guests flow from BB to Mumbai Chowk, every day operations can expect around 10,000 visitors.

It's so impressive to feel you're standing, not in the desert in Dubai, but briefly in Mumbai where there is a cart selling vada pav, and a larger than life poster of Shah Rukh Khan himself as Don for one of the attractions. It's also difficult to not notice the large building modelled after the Taj Mahal called Rajmahal Theater which boasts an 800 person seating with a 2.5 hour stage performance of dance numbers and entertainers to give guests that warm filmi feel, bringing cinema alive right in front of you. What's more is you can also find a very large double decker bus from Mumbai that will be serving juice to keep you cool and hydrated, and was there any doubt? Yes there is a train modelled after the one in Dil Se.. I just wanted to get onto the top of it and start dancing!

Next we ventured into the Rustic Ravine, which was Mr. Nikhil's favorite and immediately felt we had reached a village, complete with rickshaw, and a handsome view of Aamir Khan from Lagaan. There is another attraction here called the Champaner Cricket Carnival. What better way to connect to your guests than with their favorite sport? That too from the legendary Lagaan, one of my personal favorites of Aamir Khan's.

As we strolled along we were greeted with some more fine details and iconic imagery from Sholay. Arguably one of the best films to quote, this film will come to life before your eyes. You can take your friends and hunt down Gabbar Singh himself! Want to take a photo with your pal and feel like heroes in a motorbike and sidecar? No problem you'll find it there!

What kind of classic scenery could be considered complete without one of Bollywood's most notorious actors? Around the corner in the Rustic Ravine you will find Salman Khan's stunt show for Dabangg. The actors in this stunt show have been practicing for quite some time and keeping their performance under wraps so it’s a perfect surprise once the park opens, not even the soft openings have revealed what heroic antics will be included in this live action show. I'm so curious! I wish I had more time in Dubai to stay and see it.

Now we've circled back on the near side to the Rajmahal Theater, and of course had to take some fun selfies. As an American it's hard not to feel nostalgic. I grew up visiting theme parks in USA and all around I see all the right ideas for a theme park. The vendor kiosks, pressed penny machines. I forgot to ask what currencies those machines accept but it's just a press that stretches out a coin and prints a themed design on it. I have a collection of them from touristic spots from all around. I feel they bring good luck. I can just imagine the kids visiting the park doing just the same, and the families posing for selfies in front of the Rajmahal as well.

The last place we roamed to was the Bollywood Hall of Heroes. Hands down, this will be one of the most popular spots for guests to visit. There's a studio called Cinemagic showcasing interactive scenes from Zindagi na Milegi Dobara where you get to be featured in 3 scenes from the film and take the video home with you. You will be famous and popular among all of your friends and can impress more when you show it on Facebook or Whatsapp. This will really connect to the young adult crowd. Expect to see a flood of these videos soon!

One of the last places we visited was the Hall of Heroes with Shah Rukh Khan's RA.One Unleashed and Hrithik Roshan's Krrish - Hero's flight. Guests can walk into the large building and enjoy some cool air while queueing up for either of these attractions or enjoying timepass in the giftshop inbetween. Krrish will take you on a flight over India as if you are actually a super hero and accompanied by Krrish, while in RA.One unleashed you will enjoy a 4D multisensory experience into the virtual world.

From the outside there is also Rock On!! which looks to be a very fun experience as it will have its own entrance from the theme park so when it converts from restaurant to lounge in the night, you will be able to visit it directly without paying for a ticket to the park. What a great way to designate a space that will be fun for locals as well as tourists.

When we stepped outside Mr. Nikhil told us of several places where dances take place, some inside attractions, on stages, and sometimes the street becomes the stage. There will be a dance performance happening in the park somewhere, every 15 minutes. That's quite a lot of energy and manpower to perform every day, it seems very magical! Considering that 60% of residents in Dubai are of Indian origin, I got the sense that this would be a fantastic way for people to connect to their roots and passion for Bollywood just a few hours away from home.

I found it very interesting that one of the major differences between this theme park and others I've visited is that the attractions here aren't rides in the traditional sense. They rely heavily on technology and indulging the senses. It's really quite brilliant from a design aspect because it will be easy to keep these rides relevant and up to date in the future, without much concern for maintenance and safety where traditional rides like rollercoasters and such would have.

As we strolled back towards the entrance, I didn't want the tour to end and was savoring every last bit. I appreciated the familiarity of any theme park with the very specific and fine details of Bollywood. Even the street vendors offering lemon juice and chaat. My largest regret of not being part of one of the operational soft opening days was not being able to buy any merchandise! Mr. Nikhil took us into one of the shops to at least see what kind of items would be available to purchase. As a fan of Bollywood, and unable to find much officially licensed merchandise, this was a dream come true. Mugs, shirts, caps, bags, toys, everything is there.  I think this will be one of the biggest hits too as guests will want to take home a memento to preserve the awesome feeling of having visited the park.

Overall this was such an amazing experience and I'm most excited for my next chance to come back to Dubai and visit the park once its fully operational. Many special thanks to the cast and crew to build such a marvel, and to the management and Mr. Nikhil for your personal time to show our small group around. We wish you all the best future success and a smooth and awesome grand opening!

About the author:

Christie Sanam is an American born entrepreneur who works as a manager in the IT field, promotes Bollywood themed entertainment shows in Seattle, WA via Wicked Karma Entertainment, freelance writes and takes photo, and is joined by her better half Ravi from 2015. She loves exploring culture with an open heart and mind and is navigating the waters of a multicultural relationship and loving every second of it.