Plaza gets a multiplex makeover

PVR Plaza, which opens its doors to the people today, blends the contemporary with the classical, says Ajjay Bijli.

And now Plaza Cinema gets the PVR touch too. Plaza, a 1000-seater movie hall which used to make the movie-viewing experience all the more different makes way for a swanky 300-seater movie hall, PVR Plaza opening officially today. On the ground floor of the Plaza Cinema complex, get set to see branded and retail stores and upscale eateries opening in a couple of months.

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For now, PVR Plaza that was refurbished and given a complete makeover in four and half months was something of a challenge for Ajjay Bijli, Managing Director, PVR Cinemas. “We would have liked to have a multiplex in the heart of Connaught Place, who wouldn’t want to? But the real estate prices aren’t very encouraging and having a single screen theatre in Connaught Place is better than having nothing,” says Bijli.

According to Bijli PVR Plaza was built from the scratch. “Everything from the foyer to the interiors was done by us. We tried to retain the old-world charm and added an element of modernity to it. Bollywood posters over the years have been put up on the foyer area to give it a very colonial look. The interiors are art-deco and pristine white with marble flooring to complete the Imperial look. We’ve also used a lot of wood panelling in the foyer region as well as inside the movie hall.”

So like other PVRs, even Plaza has wall-to-wall carpeting, “ample leg-space, arm rest to hold your drink, Dolby sound system, Xenon projection system. We’ve got a well-equipped fire fighting system,”adds Bijli.

With construction going on for Metro Railway, parking will be a problem. Still, Bijli maintains, “People in CP rely a lot on walking. Moviegoing is just one of the many activities they indulge in apart from dining out and shopping. So, most of them don’t need a lot of parking place. The old Plaza required more space for its 1000 patrons, PVR Plaza has 300 seats. So it’s easier to find parking and once the Metro construction is complete, there’ll be more parking space.”

Entertainment Entrepreneur Parmeet Singh Sawhney, Director, Plaza Cinema, an electronic engineering graduate from New York University, admits that PVR Plaza is a "visual treat" and Ajjay Bjili, an old school friend (both went to Modern School, Barakhamba) has been able to "retain most of Plaza’s charm." With 300-seats and a host of shops and eateries opening by July, an upscale theatre like Plaza will be a complete shopping-eating out-moviegoing experience. Plaza was once associated with the 20th Century Fox where only Hollywood flicks would be screened. In 1964, the Sawhneys, Shammi Kapoor and F.C.Mehra took over Plaza and Bollywood became Plaza’s staple diet.