Not difficult to get people to the cinema halls in the era of video streaming apps, says PVR chief Sanjeev Bijli

Cinema viewing has rapidly been changing in the country. Gone are the days when single theatres ruled the roost and watching a movie with a family was restricted to special occassions or strictly blockbusters. With the advent of multiplexes, choices increased many folds.

Multiple cinemas ensured audiences had more options to choose from. In the last few years, with the advent of video streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon ruling the market, audiences have now got access to blockbusters within the comforts of their home. The single screen theatres gave way to multiplexes some two decades back and now there are only a few single-screen theatres in urban areas. With the advent of digital platforms, will multiplexes and cinema halls, in general, cease to exist? PVR Cinemas' Joint Managing DirectorSanjeev Bijli begs to differ as he maintains that the thrill of watching cinema on the big screen will always remain.

"I feel people desire to watch a lot of the content that's available on Netflix on the big screen. Sure the comfort of the bedroom is there, but boredom and inertia sets in at home at some point and our normal social need to come out and watch a film with friends and family will always be there. So the relevance of cinema halls will always stay," said Bijli while speaking to WION.

Bijli states that despite the presence of Netflix and Amazon, it is difficult to attract audiences to the theatres. "I don't think it is difficult at all to get people to the theatres despite the entry of digital platforms. If you see at the trends at Box Office in the last 2 years, it has been phenomenal. If you see box office results in China, or in America- they have gone up. Also because good content is been made available in theatres now- be it 'Raazi, 'Avengers or ' Black Panther' so people like to watch these epic films on the big screen at the earliest."

PVR pictures have pioneers of sorts in bringing in the multiplex culture to India. The group not only has catered to needs of regular Bollywood loving audience but also showcased Indies and critically accalimed international films for a niche audience.

"We used to have Director's Rare in Delhi which used screened Indies. It was a good platform for a lot of small budgets, indpendent filmmakers to showcase their work- and did well too. We have stopped for the time being- hopefully, we can revive it soon," said Bijli.

PVR has recently joined hands with Mumbai Academy of Moving Image aka MAMI and brought its year round program to Delhi. The Mumbai edition is already a hit and Bijli hopes for the same success in the capital as well.

"Our experience with MAMI has been great. Ever since it was re-launched, with so many people coming on board-the hourney has been enjoyable. We have collaborated with them in Mumbai and when the talks of taking it out of Mumbai came up, Delhi was obviously the natural choice. We had to plan a bit and figure out the logistics, but here we are!" says the Bijli with a welcoming smile.

The Delhi Edition of MAMI will showcase critically acclaimed films from across the world to registered members at select PVR theatres in the capital.

Bijli feels that MAMI is an important platform for cinema lovers. " It is so important to bring critically acclaimed international films to India., Because we all know about it, read about it and follow what happens at Sundance, Cannes and the films that are discussed. So it makes sense to bring them here as well. The guys at MAMI are doing a great job in bridging the gap."

The Delhi edition opened with Wes Anderson's 'Isle Of Dogs' and much talked about horror drama 'Hereditary' in the first week of June. The Delhi edition has already registered more than 250 members and Bijli is hopeful that the numbers will go up in the coming weeks.

Much like the audience, PVR chief is excited at the new initiative. He admits he is not a fan of the horror genre, but he's glad that films that were screened at festivals like Cannes and Sundance are making their way to Indian audience at a PVR screen. " They pick films from festivals and all are acclaimed ones – so I am personally excited to be a part of the initiative," said Bijli before signing off.