It is for the innumerable filmohalics of Chennai that Kollywood, the Tamil film industry, is churning out movies after movies. But, where do these Chennaiites go for an ideal movie experience?
Movie-goers are a blessed lot. They have business houses at their service. They first build a mall, throw in big shops, then add a multiplex, and top it up with restaurants: a perfect gourmet meal for those who like it all at one place. Chennai is fast catching the mall-cum-multiplex fever, so much so that single-screen theatres have become a thing of the past. So Downtown tells its readers what is in store for people living in and around Vadapalani area.
Prestige Group's Forum-Vijaya Mall is coming up next to Green Park hotel in Vadapalani. It will be built on eight acres of land and will house nine-screen multiplex run by Satyam cinemas. It will have more than 100 shops and around 10 restaurants. It will also house a 8,000 sq ft Lifestyle showroom and 50,000 sq ft RMKV showroom. It will have Chennai's biggest Hyper market — Star Bazaar — on an area of 1 lakh sq ft. Apart from the restaurants, the mall will also have a 500-seat food court with 15 kitchens. For the gaming enthusiast, the Forum mall will have an arcade. The multi-level parking facility at the mall can accommodate about 2,500 cars and 3,000 two-wheelers. The mall will have two entry and exit gates, with access from Arcot Road and Jawaharlal Nehru Road. It will also help address the problem of traffic congestion. Mr. Mohammad Ali, GM, Forum mall said: “Today, people want everything at one place. A shopping mall with a multiplex is the best answer.”
Venus Theatre located on Paper Mills Road in Perambur has given way to Ganga Foundation's Grand Venus Mall, popularly known as the Spectrum mall. Incidentally, it is north Chennai's first mall-cum-multiplex project. Built on 1,60,000 sq ft., the Spectrum mall will house a five-screen multiplex run by Satyam cinemas. While the retail shops are already operational, the multiplex is expected to open by next month. The mall has 30 shops, including a food court. The parking facility can accommodate 200 cars and 800 two-wheelers. S.P. Rajan, Mall manager, Operations says “as there is no other shopping mall in the area, our prospects are good. ”
Another project in the pipeline is Ozone Groups' residential-cum-commercial project at Thirumangalam near Koyambedu. The residential project will come up on 42 acres, and commercial on 11 acres. The mall will house a 12-screen multiplex.
The Group is yet to tie up with anchor clients for retail and managing the multiplex. Only in the initial stages of construction, the project is expected to be completed only by 2015. The mall will have a parking lot which can accommodate more than 200 cars. Big Bazaar, one of the retail chain outlets located in Vadapalani, will house a 10-screen multiplex above its 50,000 sq ft shopping mall on the ground floor. It is being built by Anandram Developers.
With old single screen-theatres also turning into multiplexes people in Vadapalani can no longer complaint about lack of entertainment in their area. In the place of erstwhile National theatre at Virugambakkam today stands a mall-cum-multiplex called Fame National. The five-screen multiplex is managed by Mumbai-based Fame India limited. Vadapalani's landmark Kamala theatre also got a makeover recently with the theatre turning into a multiplex with two-screens.
The mall-cum-multiplex concept has caught on so much so that single-screen theatres are fading away
