PREMIERWORLDTM is the leading producer of multimedia show: outdoor shows that combine music, water effects, simulated pyrotechnics, coloured lighting, laser and video projection, sound effects and smoke and other effects to produce spectacular night entertainment and also shows that tell specific stories or relate historical events. That creative expertise has now been applied to providing multimedia show at Murshidabad that tells the story of crucial events of the 1700s that later went on to effect the destiny of the entire sub-continent.The challenge was that the Motijheel site has today very little of structures that relate to its history so new ways had to be developed to tell the epic story. To do this PREMIERWORLDTM used: a central platform has a diorama of five life-size figures – the conspirators against Siraj, deep in conversation. Five most famous personalities from that period – Ghaseti Begum, Mir Jafar, Jagat Sett, Robert Clive and Watts – are represented in a lifelike manner. It is around this diorama that this show unfolds.
The diorama is framed with two columns and a pediment typical of colonial style architecture of the time.A motorised screen comes down for the projection of video during the show and rises for clear view of the rest of the show.The use of lighting and special effects to make the maximum of landscape and heritage ruin features of the site.The creation of soundscape using 5.1 sound to dramatically place sound all across the site. Commissioning of Grammy award winner Bikram Ghosh to produce an evocative and dramatic music score and sound design. Safety of the spectator has been kept in mind with great consideration and all. installations of electrical system has been done as per standard practices guided by Indian Electricity Rules, 1956 with all protective devices. All lights have been protected and isolated by suitable enclosures.
The town of Murshidabad in West Bengal is steeped in history, having witnessed the epochal rise and fall of the Nawabs of Bengal. From the rise of Murshid Kuli Khan in 1704 to the battle of Plassey in 1757 and its bloody aftermath, Murshidabad has been witness to one of the most important and poignant chapters in India’s history. One of love, jealousy, conspiracy and murder. One that paved the way for two hundred years of British rule. The historical monuments strewn all around the city still speak of those many-coloured days. Today Premierworld has recreated those turbulent times at Motijheel, one of the town’s most popular sites.
Motijheel a huge landscaped park surrounded by a lake, boasted a magnificent palace in the 1700s. It is here that the conspiracy to oust Nawab Siraj-ud-daula began with his aunt Ghaseti Begum. Today, only the broken walls of the palace remain. In front of the wall, a raised platform has a diorama of five life-size figures – the conspirators against Siraj, deep in conversation. Five most famous personalities from that period – Ghaseti Begum, Mir Jafar, Jagat Sett, Robert Clive and Watts – are represented in a lifelike manner. It is around this diorama that this show unfolds.
With the use of a retractable screen, theatre-like lighting accompanied by smoke effects and strategically placed speakers contributing a 5.1 soundscape, the show takes the audience through the rise of the Nawabi period to that of Siraj-ud-daula on the throne, the conspiracy, the battle of Plassey, Siraj’s murder and the aftermath. The script is replete with dialogue that heightens the drama complemented by sections of silhouette animation on screen. The surrounding area including the trees and palace ruins has been used as devices to create impact and engagement throughout the show. Effort has also been made to create the best possible soundscape, with the Grammy award winner Bickram Ghosh designing the sound, and various Hindi and Bengali film personalities lending their voices.
Motijheel has already garnered almost a million footfalls since the renovation of the park. It is expected that this new show will increase that substantially over the coming years.