JAGTIAL: To make movies more accessible for the residents of rural areas, a 100-seater igloo-shaped ‘cine restaurant’ is going to come up in Rajarampalli village of Velgatur mandal. A one-of-its-kind cinematic experience awaits the residents from the nearby Dharmaram, Velgatur and Dharmapuri mandals once the theatre begins operations in a month.
A Mumbai-based KSS Group has given the licence to operate ‘Chhotu Maharaj’, what they call a ‘cine restaurant‘ in the district. Residents are enthralled by the idea of such a theatre as it manages to club together several aspects of an evening with family or friends at a single venue, much like going to a mall in cities.
Since there are no other entertainment avenues in the 50-km-radius, this kind of project was attractive to one of the partners Sannihith Rao, who says that such theatres are extremely popular in Maharashtra. He says people are unable to go to nearby cities to catch the latest flick or spend some fun time with their family members and hopes that this would provide the much-needed entertainment to the residents.
He says that four local unemployed youngsters decided to go ahead with the project. The 12.8-metre-diametre dome is constructed with wood and despite that, it’s fire- and water-proof, he adds. Managing partner Kasam Rajashekar says the idea to start such an initiative in the village was to help cinema reach the small towns and villages. He adds that people can even book the theatre for birthdays and other events.
While multiplexes in the cities have a bad reputation of sky-high prices for refreshments such as popcorn and soft drinks, the partners want to keep this place affordable for all and have included the cost of refreshments in the ticket.