Now, a mobile theatre in Delhi to cater to rural audience

theatre-representation Representational image

After toiling through the week, who wouldn't like to unwind with a good movie? For those of us in the cities, theatres are a comfort we take for granted. But what about the rural parts of the country? For a large cross-section of the society, a multiplex is still a scarce luxury. It is this inequity that veteran actor Satish Kaushik aims to rectify with his Mobile Digital Movie Theatre (MDMT) scheme. He has converted trucks into theatres, travelling around different villages and screening movies for nominal sums of Rs 35 to Rs 75. Though the scheme is not funded by the government, it was inaugurated by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on May 10.

Each MDMT unit boasts a 22-foot screen with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. It will be air-conditioned and will seat around 200 people. The idea was proposed to Kaushik by Sushil Chaudhary, an engineer and technology magnate, to make cinema more accessible in tier 2, 3 and 4 cities. This idea also circumvents the problem of real estate, which otherwise would have arisen if theatres were constructed as permanent structures.

Ten units will hit the road in a few months. They are named after major Bollywood movies like Mr India and Baahubali. The tickets will be made available through the MDMT counter and a mobile application, and they are also planning to strike a deal with ticketing platforms like BookMyShow for the same. "Though the government is not funding the initiative, it is supporting us by ensuring that we seamlessly procure permissions, including for the use of land and deployment of fire and police officials. In fact, we are giving preferred ad space to them so that they can connect with the citizens," said Kaushik to Mid-Day. 

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