EVER gone on a blind date? They have been doing it for decades in the West and in the USA. Indians are relatively new to a blind date, but it’s catching on fast. A blind date hangs on suspense and thrill, and is also a very real chance of ending up pretty disappointed.
All's part of the blind date game. So, how about a blind date to a movie? That’s the gist of this story.
Normally, people go watch a movie if they hear a good word about it. Then, there are those who are the first-dayfirst- show types, having quite another experience, hoping to cash in on the pre-release hype.
Blind date movies are further removed. Audiences just don’t know what will hit the screen till the title-card pops up. That is the thrill Sathyam Cinemas offers the audience once a week. Called ‘Blind Date’, it is the premiere of a movie that releases every Friday, the movie is screened on the evening of the previous day, i.e. Thursday. Bookings start a week before. Blind Dates have been on for the last two years at the Studio 5 Screen, Sathyam Cinemas.
Last Thursday, Escape at Express Avenue Mall picked up the baton, with its first ‘Blind Date’ at the Spot. Actors Parthiban, Pasupathi and TV anchor Ramya were present, handing over gift vouchers to a few blind date buffs who gave the right answers to queries about last Thursday’s ‘Blind Date’.
Manik, a businessman who has been on several blind dates at Sathyam Cinemas, didn’t miss the first one at Escape. “There is always a risk in booking tickets for a blind date movie. You don’t know what type of movies they would screen, and if it turns out to be one you don’t like, it’s a disappointment.
But there is a thrill to it and this brings people to the theatre,” says Manik.
Sairam, an accounts manager in a private firm, expected it to be one of the Tamil Diwali releases but ended up watching Due Date, a Hollywood movie starring Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis. But Due Date sure is the perfect choice for a first Blind Date.