26 March,2009 09:55 AM IST | | Prabhudev M
Get ready to watch Aa Dekhen Zara in plush comfort as the city's newest theatre throws open its doors tomorrow. There will also be special screenings of Auto Raja, Shankar Nag's blockbuster film
The Shankar Nag Cinema on M G Road, popularly known as Symphony, will be re-launched as Fame Shankar Nag on Friday.
The theatre, which is housed in Public Utility Building, was acquired by Shringar Cinemas Limited in a closed offer bid issued by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), three years ago.
Shringar Cinemas entered the country's IT capital with the re-establishment of Lido Cinema that now houses the Fame 4-screen multiplex. Its second venture, Fame Shankar Nag, boasts state-of-the-art facilities and promises to provide a whole new experience for the movie buff.u00a0
The theatre has a total of 610 seats, comprising 150 in Gold Class and the rest in Premier Class. The Gold Class will have 55 reclining chairs that resemble seats in the first class of a luxury aircraft, giving a new dimension to watching movies at theatres. It offers services such as valet parking, butler service, and unlimited food and beverage service. Other prominent features include fully digital sound with 3-way surround system, wide screens that enhance the movie viewing experience, and a multi-cuisine food court with a specialty food counter.
Glitzy theatres like this one are rapidly gaining in consumer preference as they offer computerised tickets and an ambience that lets you believe that you are watching your choice of movie in five-star comfort.
"The very experience of going to the cinema is changing. It's all about choice-comfort-convenience. Keeping this in mind, the theatre has been completely redesigned to take moviegoers' experience to a whole new level," says Sukirti Jha, assistant manager, marketing and sales, Fame Cinemas.
A ticket to a weekday morning show is priced at Rs 80-100, while night shows are priced higher, and weekend shows are priced at Rs 100-120 (morning shows).
Though the theatre is named after Sandalwood's legendary actor-director Shankar Nag, the operator will not dedicate the theatre for the exclusive screening of Kannada films. "There are no restrictions as such. The theatre is open to screening of films from all languages," says Sukirti. For tickets, Call: 40614848 or go to https://www.famecinemas.com/
From Symphony to Fame
"Symphony had excellent projection and sound systems. It was overall a well-designed theatre. The redesigned theatre with advanced equipment and other new facilities would definitely add more excitement to movie watching. But the theatre should have been dedicated exclusively for the screening of Kannada films as it has been named after Shankar Nag."
M Bhaktavatsala, former President
Film Federation of Indiau00a0
"Many directors and producers in the industry wanted Symphony and Puttanna theatres (as these were the only theatres that belonged to the government) to be a hub for new wave cinema. We had even started a movement in this regard. But we didn't receive much support from the government. We had organised a film festival a few years ago at Shankar Nag theatre and the response was very good. Government property should be used for the purpose of promoting our films."
TS Nagabharana, Kannada film director
