CHENNAI: On any given day, the Central Railway Station has more than two lakh passengers, who have had no choice but to suffer the repeated, dull and monotonous advertisements in the waiting hall. Not anymore! Mr Bean is already giving them company while they wait.
Two gigantic LED screens (25 ft x 16 ft) have been placed beside the central display board showing updates on train arrivals, departures and platform numbers. Mr Bean has been playing on these two screens.
Kids were excited to watch the TV show in the waiting hall. Kavya, a mother of two, who was waiting for the delayed Coromandel Express, told City Express, “I was worried about how I would manage both my kids who’d nag me whenever they need to stay put for more than 15 minutes. Thank God they now have this show! It has kept them engaged until the train arrived.”
Not just kids, but even youth were surprised to see their childhood hero on screen. “I was surprised to see Mr Bean’s First Class Ticket — one of his many hits — being telecast on the giant screen. It would also be great if they air several other TV shows that are popular,” said Sanjai, who watched the show while standing in a queue to charge his phone.
Apart from Mr Bean, kid-friendly TV shows and social awareness short films are also being shown in the waiting area, which can hold up to 1,000 people. But this initiative failed to impress elderly passengers and the masses because only two shows were played on a loop.
“At present, we have copyrights of only these two, and airing shows without proper permission would land us in trouble,” said Murali, the contractor. But this excitement may be short lived as the contractor plans to replace the shows with ads next year.