Giant outdoor mapping illuminates story of Indian heroine

Historic Jhansi Fort in northern India is the massive projection backdrop for a dramatic re-telling of the story of national heroine, Lakshmi Bai. Dataton WATCHOUT teamed with eight Digital Projection Titan laser projectors, a surround sound system, lasers and lighting set the scene.

A spectacular new projection-mapped show is immersing visitors in the story of Lakshmi Bai at the historic Jhansi Fort in northern India. The 22-year-old rani (queen) of Jhansi died fighting the British East India Company during the Indian Mutiny of 1857–1858 and is known for her courage during the siege of Jhansi Fort.

Hilltop 83-meter projection canvas

The Jhansi Fort experience was inaugurated – ahead of schedule – in April 2022 with system integrator PAN Intellecom Ltd as project lead. The new sound-and-light show centers on an eye-catching 270-degree, 83m-wide projection canvas on the walls of the hilltop Jhansi Fort. The 32-minute presentation is programmed with Dataton WATCHOUT show composer software and played back on eight laser projectors: three stacked in the centre and three on the right, with a further two on the left-hand side.

Aman Arora, Magical Theatre, technical-creative director for the project said: “As a creative director, it’s like a dream come true to narrate the story of Rani Lakshmi Bai through a 270-degree architectural projection-mapping show, the first of its kind in the country.”

Overcoming challenges

As always there were challenges to overcome – not least the fact that the show had to be ready two months ahead of the original schedule in time for a visit by Indian prime minister Narendra Modi! Other factors included the sheer size of the fort and the facade itself, which has been damaged and weathered over the past 400 years. “Being a heritage fort, built hundreds of years back, the challenge was to ensure the safety and integrity of the structure and still deliver a show that could mesmerise the audience,” explained PAN Intellecom director Harbir Singh.