BENGALURU: Seventy-year-old Sharada theatre, situated near Corporation Circle, is now being renovated.
Thanks to multiplexes overtaking standalone theatres in the movie-screening race, the theatre that once saw popular Kannada, Telugu and Tamil movies run for several months eventually ended up having to screen B-grade films.
Following the renovation, the theatre will see the grand release of Sudeep’s Kotigobba 2 on Varamahalakshmi festival on August 12.
Producer and distributor Jack Manju, who has taken Sharada theatre on lease for the next 10 years, told City Express that he has spent nearly `1.5 crore on the renovation.
With the facelift, Manju hopes to give the theatre a ‘multiplex feel’, with 550 seats.
Other theatres in Majestic, including the nearby Pallavi, Apsara, Tribhuvan and Kailash, have closed down over the years.
What made Manju invest so much? “The rent for theatres on KG Road are touching `5 lakh. So I decided to bring multiplex-level facilities here and change everything except the wall. I plan to rent out the theatre for `2.5 lakh for a movie and make good profit.”
Manju also wants to release Bengali and Marathi films and screen shows at night. “There are around 50,000 Bengalis and North Indians around here. I want to cater to them as well. However, Kannada movies will be my priority, which is why I want to release Kotigobba 2 first,” he explains.