I love watching movies, particularly if they’re animated and rom-coms. I don’t watch Hindi movies, mostly because I can’t sit through the songs and dances without whining about it and annoying whoever I’m with. But whenever a good English movie is out (sometimes even bad English movies, like "Knight and Day") I try to hit the theater the same weekend it releases. "Despicable Me" is on the agenda for this weekend, and I’m sure it’ll be adorable.
I’ve gone to several multiplexes around the city, until I’ve finally come to know and love a few. My absolute favorite place to go is the Red Lounge at Cinemax, Versova inside Infiniti Mall. The recliner seats are perfect for someone my size... it’s literally like lying in bed and watching a movie with a cozy blanket (they’re freshly laundered, so you don’t feel grossed out). But not only does the Red Lounge cost a bomb unless you go for a morning show, the other aspects of Cinemax, Infinitidon’t make me happy. The theater is just about ok when it comes to hygiene, they don’t have brown bread sandwiches at the snack bar, and there’s no way you’ll find a good cold coffee or iced tea there.
So in my quest for the complete movie experience, I’ve come to realize that PVR Juhu and PVR Goregaon are the best you can get. Let me explain why :) I’ve been to PVR Juhu and Goregaon so often that I know both places like the back of my hand. I know exactly which seats I like most for certain screens, so there’s no chance of someone huge sitting in front of me. And most screens have comfortable center aisle seats that ensure that you can leave comfortably without walking through the aisle and also you’re at a distance from amorous couples who believe in PDA in the corner seats. And in my case, I’m too far away to throw popcorn at them and hoot (no I don’t really do that, eventhough I’m tempted:)
Which do I like more? They each have their own advantages. PVR Juhu is inside Juhu’s Shopper’s Stop, which I love, because then I can shop before or after the movie, and they have a Crossword in the basement. There’s also a Croma just outside and a Cafe Coffee Day downstairs. There’s a Crepe Station nearby if we’re going to breakfast before the movie. And it’s also close to my favorite Italian restaurants, if lunch or dinner is on the agenda: Don Giovanni, Little Italy, Del Italia.
On the other hand, PVR Goregaon is in Oberoi Mall. There’s a Lifestyle there, there’s Chemistry, there’s Body Shop, there’s Croma, there’s Crossword, there’s just so much, and don’t get me started on the huge food court, the coffee at Gloria Jeansand the lasagna at Cream Center! Plus PVR Goregaon is priced slightly more reasonably than Juhu, and it’s closer and easier to access from my office.
Both have ample parking. Both have 3D effects for 3D movies. Both have ample leg space so people don’t trample your feet while heading to their seats. Both have decent security, they’ll diligently check your bag, ensure you don’t take cameras (and weapons, you’ll know what I meanif you read about what happened at Inox at Nariman Point recently) and food inside. Both have a good candy (snack) bar, PVR Juhu has a Costa Coffee outlet inside and PVR Goregaon has a Cafe Coffee Day inside.The only thing that tips to the favor of PVR Juhu are the garlic fries that you get there, truly delicious! But what tips to PVR Goregaon’s favor is that the seats for all the screens recline slightly, so they’re very comfortable. Also, you have to see the washrooms: they are dark, with lights just over the mirror, and done up really beautifully and arealways sparkling clean (I haven’t seen the guys’, but hear that’s good too, heeheehee). Weird thing to notice, but what can I say, they’re really cool!
Nobody and nothing is perfect.So now let’s look at the downsides of my two favorite multiplexes? The first thing is that at PVR, tickets are priced higher than other theaters in the vicinity... in the case of PVR Juhu, the tickets cost substantially more than the nearby Chandan theater, but Chandan is in a bad state, and also more than Fun Republic, Fame Big Cinemas, and the normal screen shows at Cinemax, Infiniti. And PVR Goregaon costs a lot more than Movietime at Hub and Big Cinemas at Inorbit Mall. But in terms of comfort, the PVRs score higher over each of these theaters, so maybe the pricing isjustified. The one thing they do need to improve on is their telebooking system... no one picks up! So you either go there and hope you get tickets or you have to book online (that works pretty well).
Another thing is that sometimes, particularly in the smaller screens (I think Screens 4 and 5) at PVR Juhu, they have problems adjusting the volume. It goes from being way too loud so it hurts your ears to way too soft so you’ll be straining to hear what’s being said. They need to figure out the volume setting and do it soon. With PVR Goregaon, a few times we’ve ended up with broken seats where the recline function had gone bad. They should either have those seats repaired or not sell tickets for them, because sitting on a weirdly positioned chair through a two-hour or three-hour movie won’t be easy. Luckily, this happened to us on days when the theater wasn’t stuffed, so we told the ushers about the problem and then just sat on different seats. Hopefully theytook the feedbackand will do something about it.But what I hate most of all, common to both multiplexes, are the noisy, obnoxious people who talk to each other and talk on their cellphones while the movie is playing. I really hate that, and I guess it’s not a PVR-specific issue, but I do wish the ushers would politely tell these people to shut up and let people watch and listen to the movie!
And finally, I wish PVR had some sort of frequent buyer scheme. Theaters like Fun Republic have this and it affords several benefits to movie-goers who visit them often, like special screenings, discounts on the tickets, and even discounts at the theater’s snack bar. I’mateither PVRpractically every week, as are some of my friends, so this would really benefit us and also the theater itself, because it would drive our loyalty - maybe we’d be tempted to go to the Red Lounge less often :) But besides that, I think PVR is a fantastic place to enjoy a movie and I plan to be back there soon (and no, unfortunately they aren’t paying me to write this, or even giving me free movie tickets)!