I remember, back in the first few years of the new millenia, of visiting Rex and Symphony on Brigade and M.G. Road, respectively, for seeing the latest movies which came out in those days. Well, being a part of St. Joseph’s college definitely helped, since we were only a few minutes walk away from either hall. And during those days when the teachers were absent, we sometimes chose to catch the inexpensive morning shows at Rex.
Well, fast forward to 2008... College time seems far behind. I’m older, fatter, and hopefully wiser. And where have all the cinemas gone, the single theater ones, like Rex, Symphony, Plaza (remember that, on MG Road), or even Lido un Ulsoor. Well, they have all disappeared, been replaced by the multiplexes. Only Rex survives as the lone warrior in this sea of Cinema baiting... and No, it does not evoke any fond memories anymore. I just wish the place would give up, or at the very least, improve.
Let me explain. In those days, there was no choice in where you wanted to see a movie. These days, we are spoiled for choice. Let me just recap, off the top of my head, the list of cinema halls / multiplexes in Bangalore:
1. PVR, in Forum Mall
2. Inox, in Garuda Mall, Brigade Road, and Jayanagar
3. Fame Lido, in Ulsoor
4. Fun Cinemas, in Cunningham Road
5. Vision Cinemas
6. Innovative Multiplex, in Marathahalli... and there are more, but lets just consider these 6.
Now, Brigade Road is still a popular place to hang out, with plenty of the college crowd being there, but the appeal of the multiplex is so much more, as you can ’chill out’ with your friends, have a meal / snack, and see a movie too. Even in the Brigade road area, we have Garuda and Inox, and Eva Mall nearby. Even Fun Cinemas is only a couple of kilometers away.
So how did I end up going to Rex for a movie? Well, simply put, it was because I could not find tickets anywhere else. And I really wanted to see Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi; hence, I lucked out and managed to catch a few balcony tickets for the Matinee Show.
Mind you, at Rs. 170 per head, they are only slightly cheaper than PVR (Rs. 200 per head for Classic Cinema), or Rs. 200 for Premier Class in Lido.
And first problem... where the hell do you park on Brigade Road? Luckily, they have now opened a sort of makeshift parking area behind the HPCL Petrol Pump (which is at the Residency/Brigade
Road junction). So Parking was ok. But then we came to another issue; the area outside the hall is really tiny, and with so many people waiting there, there was hardly any place to breathe. And no, even the sight of many PYT’s was not enough to make me forget the pushing and shoving while entering the hall.
And when we enter, we realize that the floor is cemented and tiled, not carpeted, like in some multiplexes. And the seats? Well, they look exactly like they were 6 years ago. Uncomfortable compared to the new halls, and these seats don’t even recline.
But I didn’t have time to sulk, for the wonderful guys had started the movie even before the hall was half filled. Well, they were probably trying to squeeze in an extra show, but come on! I missed the initial 4-5 minutes of the movie that way.
If you have sat in PVR, Lido, or any multiplex, you would appreciate the Silent Air Conditioning, the Good Screen and Sound Quality. Not so in Rex. The Fans were whirring noisily overhead, the Screen quality was just ok (only Innovative Multiplex is worse), and the Sound had no punch in it. Boooorrriiinnnngggg!!!
But worse was yet to come... inexplicably, and without warning, the sound suddenly disappeared 20 minutes into the movie. We could hear some audience members shouting, and rightly so. The sound came back only after a minute or so. But then... to make matters worse, the electricity just got cut, and this happened twice during the movie... for a duration of about a minute each. This was proving to be really irritating, but then, mercifully, came the intermission.
To find the loo, to find the loo... (the chill provided by the fans id not help in controlling my bladder). Luckily, being familiar with Rex, I knew where it was. Not so my friend, who almost for lost trying to find it! I don’t want to describe the loos too much, but all I can say is it, they were small, and smelly.
And then to find some popcorn or Pepsi... sadly, the one counter for it was overflowing with customers, and we missed another 2 minutes of the second half of the movie in the melee of trying to get our food and beverage...
Luckily there were no interruptions in the second half, and the movie ended without further incident...
But the horror of crowds was to swamp us again, and as we exited the hall, we had to jostle with the crow waiting to enter for the next show. Another grueling 5 minutes to get out of the hall.
... so right now, Ghajini is playing at Rex. And I have decided, No, I will not go there again and spoil mood. I’d rather wait until next week to find tickets at another theatre (except Innovative Multiplex).
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate Rex. It has been privy to some fond college memories; of morning shows and of having a great time with friends. But now, I guess, we must move on, and so too, must Rex