The Hindu Business Line : Twin cities to have two more multiplexes

PVR Cinemas, a Gurgaon-based cinema exhibition company, is all set to launch its five-screen multiplex in a shopping mall at Punjagutta. "The 1,400-seater multiplex would be opened next month," a PVR official told Business Line.

The Hyderabad multiplex, the second one after Prasads IMAX multiplex in the city, is part of PVR's plan to set up a total of 103 screens with a combined capacity of 20,000 seats by the end of 2006.

The company, which is also involved in film distribution, is focussing on cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Indore.

The traffic police, however, did not quite like the idea of setting up the multiplex at the busy Punjagutta crossroads. They felt that the multiplex could only add to the traffic woes there.

"The shopping mall where the multiplex is planned doesn't have enough parking place for the mall itself. How can we allow such a huge multiplex to come up there," a senior traffic police officer said.

There were at least nine shopping malls coming up in the area that covered some high-density routes. This, they worry, could choke the roads.

Yet, another multiplex is expected to come up at the Sigma Mall in Secunderabad by the year-end. Mr Atul Goel, Chief Executive Officer of E-City Entertainment that promoted the Fun Republic, said the four-screen multiplex would have a seating capacity of 1,000.

E-City Entertainment, an arm of Essel Group, referred to the centres as Family Entertainment Centres, offering an array of entertainment choices such as movies, eateries, gaming zones, art galleries and retail outlets.

Fun Republic entered into a pact to open the centre at the mall.

The idea was to brand and standardise the leisure package so that when one entered a Fun Republic centre, one would know what to expect. Besides, these centres would conduct movie premieres, music releases and film festivals, he said.

The Bangalore multiplex, also coming up at the Sigma Mall, was due to open in August. Mr Goel said the company would next go to Mohali near Chandigarh.

He pointed out that entertainment centres like these had huge potential. Citing the Ahmedabad example, he added that the Centre, opened in 2001, attracted 30 lakh people in just one year.

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