Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Going to the Movies

We went to see the new Harry Potter film tonight --- quite good although a bit on the long side! The Lido Theater right off of MG Road was very nice -- better than many movie theaters I've been to in the States -- seats were on a good angle so that you weren't bothered by the people sitting right in front of you and the seats were cushy and semi-reclining. There were some differences though:
  1. We had to go through 3 security checks to get into the movie,
  2. No cameras allowed in the theater -- if they find one in your bag, they take the batteries out (you pick them up when you leave); they do allow cell phones though, so not quite sure why not cameras,
  3. Assigned seating - your ticket has your seat number on it; even though the theater was at best 1/3 full, everyone was assigned consecutive seats starting from the back row,
  4. Everyone has to stand while they play the national anthem of India right before the feature starts,
  5. Intermission about 1/2 way through the film (only about 5 minutes long),
  6. Tickets cost 140 rupees -- that's a little less than $3,
  7. Popcorn and bottled water cost 190 rupees -- oh wait, that's the same as in the States where your movie snacks cost more than the movie!
In case your are interested, here's some more information on the national anthem of India:
2) You Tube (I think this is the same video we watched)

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3 comments:

  1. MelissaJuly 22, 2009 at 8:56 AM

    I saw the movie last Friday, and yes, long. I wish we had had an intermission! Most anthems are stirring and martial--is it just me or does the Indian anthem sound more like a stroll than a march?

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  2. Another John DoeJuly 22, 2009 at 10:11 PM

    I dont remember needing to standup in the beginning of a movie in India for a long time. That might be because I havent been there in a long time.

    The security check is new too, perhaps the terrorist bombings caused that.

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  3. PattyJuly 22, 2009 at 10:25 PM

    I'm not sure if you always stand-up -- this theater flashed a message for us to all stand up -- so we did.

    I think of 26/11, there is increased security in all public spots in the cities. Bag scans when going into hotels, the mall, etc.

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