Sathyam Cinemas gives ‘escape' a whole new meaning. Escape, its eight-screen multiplex at Express Avenue Mall that opens on Monday, is designed not just for a viewing experience, but also to ease tired muscles and overworked minds. There is a spa, a massage area, a library, a variety of food counters and lounges.
Everything, from the restrooms to the cinemas, has been imparted novel features. Sitting in one of the many lounges that line the long, wide corridor, chief operating officer of Sathyam Cinemas, Tan Ngaronga, says Escape has been designed with the Indian family in mind. In India, most people prefer going to the cinema as a group, he says. The lounges allow them to relax before they enter a cinema hall.
California-based Giovanni Castor has played a key role in the overall design of Escape. As for the cinemas, Vikram Phadke created themes for four. Castor did the other four.
‘Kites', one of the smaller cinemas, is replete with cloth-made kites, some of them back-lit. The kites, grouped in patterns, are stuck on the walls and the ceiling. Fashion designer Rajesh Pratab Singh is the author of the kites design. ‘Carve' displays carved wooden doors and slabs on its walls.
‘Plush', one of the bigger cinemas, has chandeliers and walls that are padded with soft, red-coloured diamond-shaped fabrics. The walls of ‘Weave' are plastered with wooden fixtures that resemble woven fabrics. ‘Spot' has walls with bulbous lights. ‘Blush', with crystals adorning velvet panels, ornate chandeliers and a dome, is targeted at women.
At ‘Streak', streaks of light run across the ceiling and continue down the walls and to the floor. ‘Frame' has a dramatic display of award-winning photographic works by Peter Lik. The works include ‘Sacred Sunrise', ‘Zen', ‘Angel's Heart' and ‘Tree of Life'. Due to a special coating, these frames come alive when bathed in light.
In the facilities outside the cinemas, functionality has been married to aesthetics. The retail space that is expected to display a range of international products has glass cabinets that are beautiful and capacious. These cabinets have been sourced from Santambrogio in Milan.
Bliss, the spa run by Oryza, takes you into settings that radiate peace.
A gaming space for children, and Puff, a smoking area, are aimed at specific groups. At Puff, the escaping air is re-filtered and made free of carcinogenic elements, says Ngaronga.
The restrooms are a study in style. One tall wall has spaces for lights providing a candle-lit effect and another has outlets through which water falls in a cascade. And, digital closets have been installed for a unique experience.
The food counters are varied — Loaf (sandwiches and other breads), Chill (ice-creams), Mix ( chaats ) and Grille (hot food), are some of them. For the knowledge-crazy, there is the library called Flip.
Given all these features, ‘Escape' will provide total escape from the mundane.
