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Chennai multiplexes now offer pre-paid cards
By Papri Sri Raman,

Chennai, Dec 25 The cinema crazy crowd of Tamil Nadu could not have it better. Not only have the fares in cinema halls fallen but multiplexes here are issuing pre-paid cards to keep your seat booked in the hall for a year.

Why not? Of India's 13,000 cinema halls, Tamil Nadu accounts for about 4,000. Some of the most innovative ones are in Chennai and its outskirts, just as Asia's largest drive in screen is here at an east coast hall.

The year gone by has also seen a dramatic increase in cinema hall crowds as more and more cinemas are upgrading infrastructure, with Satyam Cinema leading the way in innovations for viewer comfort. No matter what picture is showing at Satyam, at weekends viewership is 97 percent. Even Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan catch their 'Mission Impossible' late night show here at Satyam.

  

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More than 120 Nipuna professionals will produce and deliver animation services for the projects. Nipuna will provide VFX, CGI, 3D and 2D animation services, including pre-production, production, and post-production, along with German artists, from its state-of-the-art studio in Chennai.

Nipuna also provides artwork and visualization services involving 2D and/or 3D animation techniques and processes to customers in the engineering, architectural, and medical industries.

Earlier this year, Nipuna signed a $8 million deal with 4K Animation to provide animation services for a movie to be produced in Hollywood.

The 4K Animation Limited is one of the leading animation and special effects companies in Europe.

"This partnership reflects a growing trend toward corporatization in the animation industry, which is leading to increasingly significant opportunities," said Venkatesh Roddam, Nipuna's chief executive officer.

"Long-term contracts such as this one show that companies recognise Nipuna's capabilities in an industry where human resources are integral to quality, and responsible for the success of creative ventures," he added.

"Nipuna has been a true partner since we began working with the organisation in early 2006," Jan Schmidtgen, managing director of 4K Animation said on the occasion.

"Its focus on animation services has resulted in significant expertise in creative business practices. Above all, its flexibility and commitment to quality have helped it exceed our expectations," he added.

Nipuna has built significant VFX, CGI, and 3D animation skills and has produced films like "Sainikudu", "Stalin", "Pokhiri", and "Belly Full of Dreams"
Inaugurating the fourth edition of the Chennai International Film Festival here, IT Minister Dayanidhi Maran saidthat though interest in IT-based entertainment was growing, "still the joy of cinema remains the same. Cinema is a window of past, present and future. Like cricket, it is a passion in India".

Therefore, little surprise that on a request from the Tamil Film Producers Council, South Indian Film Chamber, Chennai City Theatre Owners Association and Film Distributors Associations, the Tamil Nadu government has decided to reduce taxes and lower fares in cinema halls from Jan 1, 2007.

The cheapest ticket in cinema halls with AC in metros will be Rs.10 while the costliest will be Rs.50. For non-AC theatres, the minimum is Rs.7 and the maximum is Rs.30. In municipality areas, the cheapest AC theatre ticket will cost Rs.5 and the costliest Rs.40. For non-AC theatres the cheapest will be Rs.4 and the costliest Rs.30.

To add to the goodies, the popular Satyam cinema in Chennai has begun issuing pre-paid cards costing Rs.300.

If a person pays Rs.300 and purchases his card, he can at any time, for any show, walk into the theatre and get a seat. The card is renewable. So if one has watched Rs.200 worth of movies, he can recharge the card and his seat is assured for all future films.

The cards are proving to be a boon to cash starved college students.

The Satyam Cinema has won several HR awards for "organisation with innovative HR practices".

Satyam is a multiplex with six screens and seating for 2,900 people. It has the highest weekly gross collection. It plans to set up a 29-screen multiplex at the Express Estate on Club House Road, in the heart of the city.

The group is planning a shopping mall-cum-multiplex in the Vadapalani area, and on Poonamalee High Road in west Chennai, and going into smaller towns in the state. Everywhere, pre-paid cards are sure to find their place.

Even Prarthana Cinema, on Chennai's southern outskirts, providing a screen tower 100 by 60 ft high, is upgrading.

Mayajaal, another south city multiplex too, is increasing its screens from six to eight. "Viewership is now back with interest in value addition," says a hall owner.

Satyam was the first in the city to set up a transit play lounge Magic Hat. It has its own food outlets.

It was the first in India to introduce the Real Digital Experience (RDX) with DLP Cinema technology from Texas Instruments and hosted the worldwide premiere of Star Wars III, using DLP cinema technology-based projectors.

"Satyam Cinemas has always been looking at opportunities to delight our customers," says Swaroop V. Reddy, Satyam's director.

With Satyam showing the way, other multiplexes in the city too will soon have to come up with pre-paid cards, say viewers.
 

Jayaraj's 'Unnale...' is hit Tamil album
By Aparna Nath,

Chennai, Dec 26 Music composer Harris Jayaraj's new album "Unnale Unnale" is doing a roaring business at music stores in the state and tops the music chart this fortnight.

The top five Tamil albums are:

1. "Unnale Unnale" - Music Director: Harris Jayaraj. This album has the mark of Jayaraj's signature style all over.

2. "Pokkiri" - Music Director: Mani Sharma. The album is aimed at pleasing hardcore Vijay fans.

3. "Sivappathikaram" - Music Director: Vidyasagar. The album continues to be in the top five especially because of the song "Atrai thingal" sung by Madhu Balakrishnan and Sujatha.

4. "Rendu" - Music Director: D. Imman. The success of "Rendu" had a cascading effect on the popularity of the movie.

5. "Thiruvilayadal Aarambham" - Music Director: D. Imman. The release of the light comedy has helped the sales of the album immensely. The most popular among Imman's latest offerings is "Ennamma kannu", crooned by Karthik and Ranjith.
 
'Veyyil' winner among Tamil films
By Aparna Nath,

Chennai, Dec 26 Producer Shankar's new film "Veyyil" has been appreciated by critics and lapped up by audiences. And like "Kadhal" and "Imsai Arasan", it is also on its way to becoming a blockbuster.

The top five Tamil films are:

1. "Veyyil" - Director: Vasantha Balan. Shankar, who backs talented directors, was impressed by Vasantha Balan's novel style of story telling. "Veyyil" is a sensitively narrated film with excellent performances by the entire cast, especially Pasupathy.

2. "Rendu" - Director: Sundar C. "Rendu" will be the biggest hit in R. Madhavan's career. Critics panned the film but audiences loved it.

3. "Sivappathikaram" - Director: Karu Palaniyappan. Many expected actor Vishal to repeat the success of "Thimiru" but he failed to live up the expectation.

4. "Chennai Kathal" - Director: Vikraman. Everybody is wondering why Vikraman made a film like this. He moved away from family dramas to venture into action genre with "Chennai Kathal" and it has turned out to be a disaster.

5. "Nenjirukkum Varai" - Director: S.A. Chandrasekhar. The film starring Narain in the lead has not been appreciated much by critics. Audience verdict is discouraging as well.

Chennai gets multiplex with a difference
By Chitra Prakash,

Chennai, Jan 20 Chennai has got another multiplex cinema hall but the difference is that the new four-screen one opened by INOX Leisure has place for both the elite
as well as the plebeian viewers.

The city's first INOX theatre opened to viewers Friday with a show of Mani Ratnam's "Guru". While affluent fans of Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai can watch the film
from back row seats costing Rs.120 each, they may be entertained with whistles from the front rows where viewers have to pay just Rs.10 per seat.

Interestingly, at least a sum of Rs.11,500 has been invested in the setting up of each of the seats in the theatre.

"It will take more than five years for the theatre to break even if these tickets continue to be sold at rates fixed by the Tamil Nadu government with effect from Jan 1," said
INOX Leisure chief Alok Tandon.

He added: "We will appeal to the government to look at these prices again. There is a market for high-end viewers in Chennai."

Elsewhere in the country, INOX tickets are priced anywhere between Rs.50 and Rs.290. But Tandon said he could offer morning shows at reduced prices.

Six-screen multiplexes like Mayajaal here have now reserved the first two rows for charity purposes instead of pricing them at the mandatory Rs.10.

The new INOX theatre is located at the upmarket Citi Center Mall in Radhakrishna Salai in the heart of the city and is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The company has
invested Rs.120 million for the 909-seat theatre.

Besides "Guru", the films now showing here are "Déjà vu", "United 93", "You, Me & Dupree", and Tamil film "Tamiraparani".

The multiplex here is the 13th in the INOX chain, a subsidiary of Gujarat Flourochemicals Ltd. According to the company, it will also look at tier II cities in Tamil Nadu as
"there is scope for growth".
 

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