NEW DELHI: The Sound and Light show at Red Fort, arguably oldest in Asia, may take more time to make a comeback. A senior official of the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) said the new script of the show had been forwarded to the culture ministry and is still under consideration.
“The content needs to be vetted by the ASI and the ministry before giving final go-ahead. The director general office of ASI has forwarded the script, prepared by the Dalmia Bharat group, to the ministry for sanction,” said the official, aware of the development.
Dalmia Bharat, a conglomerate in India, adopted the fort under Tourism Ministry's ambitious scheme — ‘adopt a heritage’ in December last year.
The show, being run by India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) since 1968, was suspended in June last year for upgradation after it was observed that content should be rewritten and lights and other equipments also require a revamp.
The old script was penned by the legendary writers Ali Sardar Jafri, Kaifi Azmi and Khushwant Singh and the show was directed by the renowned film director Chetan Anand. Hindi version of the programme initially has voice-overs of yesteryears film actors Meena Kumari and Amrish Puri. However, English narration was done by Kabir Bedi and Pratap Sharma.
Following a decision of the tourism ministry, Red Fort's 58 minute-long sound and light show was made available for free viewing on YouTube. This was first in the world by any tourism agency.
“Changes in the programme were last made in 1996. So, it was thought that the script should be reworked and latest technology such as high-tech laser projections and lights should be used for a better experience, not just in Red Fort but at other locations across the country,” said an official of the Corporation.
In May last year, ITDC initiated the tendering process to engage private agencies for setting up a multimedia show of “International standards” at the 17th-century fort-palace.