Theatrical debacle - IMAX size. Review on Prasads IMAX - NTR Gardens - Hyderabad

India can boast of only a few IMAX screens and one of them is in Hyderabad, as part of the Prasad's Multiplex. Everything about this place is big. And it is situated right in the middle of the city, on NTR Road at Tank Bund. After having watched a few movies at Sangeet (another well known theatre) I took a friend to watch ''Everest'' on IMAX at Prasad's. I was truly impressed. A theatre complex that was on par with PVR, Satyam Cineplex and several other new age theatre complexes. The ticket cost for the IMAX movie was Rs. 125. It seemed worth it. The only drawback was that they didn't accept credit cards. But the complex does have a UTI ATM, so no complaints there. The entire movie experience was good. The food court on the ground floor was really expensive, but that's a different story. In all, I was hooked. I decided to take all visiting friends to see an IMAX movie even if they'd seen one before. It was my way of showcasing Hyderabad.

Slowly, my visits to Prasads' became more frequent. The reason was apparent. There's little else to do in Hyderabad and being a multiplex, Prasad's offers a wider choice. A ticket for an ordinary movie costs around twice of what it would at other theatres. This was the only con that I noticed at the outset. But with time, even the pros turned into the cons. They introduced telebooking and eventually net booking. The problem here is that they never tell you over the phone if tickets are available or not. So, you must travel all the way to the complex to figure that out. Your experience at the theatre is not a pleasurable experience anymore. They have 12 counters for tickets or so, and only 3 or 4 are functional at any point in time. They do not have boards that call out each counter. So you may end up spending 30-45 minutes in one queue before finding out that you should have been standing in a different one. They also do not allow a person to buy more than 4 tickets at a time, but they do not have this information displayed anywhere.

My most recent irritating experience with Prasad’s is what made me request this listing through MouthPad. On June 5, 2004, an advertisement was placed in the Times of India announcing the release of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban on IMAX from June 6th onwards. At the bottom it said: Telebooking Numbers - 23448980-23448989. I thought I could call any of the numbers from 80 through 89. I finally got through one of the numbers and I was asked to call either 80 or 89 only. After several attempts, I got through 89 and the gentleman who answered the phone told me that for Harry Potter there was no telebooking. I asked him why there was a quarter page ad in the paper and he just said ''No telebooking Ma'm. Please come in person now if you want the ticket'' and hung up. A friend and I went to the theatre and stood in a queue for 15 minutes before being told that it was a ''telebooking'' counter. We then stood in another line for a good 45 minutes only to reach the window and be told that advance booking for Harry Potter was not possible. ''Come at 9 a.m. tomorrow and buy your tickets.'' The staff was not even apologetic about having asked me to come all the way or about misinforming me. The people in the queue tend to get vexed and the staff behind the counters just ignores them.

I fail to understand why all counters cannot be manned, especially when it is a known fact that 75% of Hyderabad's population lands up at the multiplex on weekends. This place gets claustrophobic on weekends. The escalators are full. The toilets are dirty. The food courts are packed. The game zone is dark and overcrowded. The shops are left with no room. In short, you are likely to come running out into the open for a breath of fresh air. Even that may not be possible as they only have one small door that leads people in and out of the complex. Prasad's has grown too big for its boots. They know that their USP will bring the crowds to them, time and again. Hence, they feel it is OK to be extremely rude and impolite to the people who continue to keep them in business.