Showing posts with label Punit Shah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Punit Shah. Show all posts
Hamlet releases at Deepak Cinema at the same time as Haider
1:54 PM
Roshmilla Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 3, 2014)
Vishal Bhardwaj's Haider has competition. We're not talking Hrithik Roshan and Bang Bang here but Laurence Olivier's Hamlet which will be playing at a city theatre, Deepak Talkies, for a week till October 10.
If Vishal has taken liberties with the Shakespearean play, setting it in the Kashmir of the '90s and giving The Ghost a human voice and form, then so did Olivier in his 1948 British film adaptation. He edited out nearly half the dialogue and two important characters. The Ghost was left uncredited but apparently was voiced by the director.
Punit Shah, owner of the theatre and general secretary of the Cinema Owners & Exhibitors Association of India, will be among the audience this weekend.
"The day Vishal announced that Haider would open on October 2, we decided to bring in Hamlet in the 7 pm slot. There will be plenty of takers for both films, the only drawback is that since this is a long weekend, half of Mumbai has emptied out. But it's a long week," he asserts optimistically.
The Shahs of showtime: Meet the owners of the chic Deepak Talkies
8:28 AM
Kunal Guha (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 3, 2014)
Relative Value Shobhana (65), Punit (30) and Mansi (30)
When Mumbai got its first Hard Rock Cafe, the standard direction to the venue was, 'take the left from Deepak Talkies'.
In the last two decades, the single-screen with a history spanning 80 years was reduced to little more than a landmark. That was until February this year, when heir to the movie hall, Punit Shah and wife Mansi metamorphosed it in an attempt to diversify their audience base from the all-male-front bencher demographic. The 30-year-old's great grandfather, Tokershi Jivraj Shah was a trader who owned land in Sewri and Lower Parel back in the '20s. The plot where Deepak Talkies stands today was bought from a church in 1926, says Punit, who found an old floor plan of the area which suggests that a butcher's shop used to stand where the entrance currently sits.
Before screening films, the venue hosted live performances, circus shows and English plays. "He envisioned an entertainment space inspired by his travels to London, which he frequented as a merchant," says Punit. Deepak became a movie theatre only in the late '30s and screened silent films before the talkies era began.
Years later, Punit's father, Sahadev Deraj Shah, then barely 20, took over in 1958. His contribution was to add the balcony section. "It's where I first met him," remembers Shobhana, Punit's mother, speaking of her late husband. "I accompanied a school friend for a special preview of Gumnaam. It was a scary suspense film and the show started post midnight." Soon, she was joining her husband for special previews at Eros, Liberty and Nehru Planetarium. "He was associated with the Censor Board, so he had to watch almost every film," she adds. Although she turned manager of the theatre, after his death in 1998, Shobhana takes little credit, and has fewer complaints. And she never considered getting the monkey off her back despite some shows going empty. In fact, she admits candidly, she didn't think Punit would take over since he had an MBA and was interested in a career in real estate.
Like Punit, who with his interior designer wife has masterminded Deepak's new life, his father too strived to experiment with innovation, including introducing Dolby sound in the early 90s. "Regal and Deepak were the only ones to," she claims. The visionary, remembers Shobhana, had brought a VCR to India from one of his trips abroad. "This was before VCRs became common-stay in India. Even Jaya Bachchan would borrow our VCR and VHS cassettes of English films," she smiles.
Despite being a cinema owner's son, Punit's friends rarely cashed in with a free show. "I was at Bombay Scottish, and most of my classmates preferred watching English films which we didn't screen," he says, when his mother interrupts him: "But we organised free shows for his entire school a couple of times."
Like most single-screens in Mumbai, Deepak's downfall began in early 2000 with the advent of multiplexes. Comfier seats, flavoured popcorn and the option of picking from a range of films lured audiences away. "Last year, Mansi came up with a plan to redesign the theatre, and we were happy to back her," Punit says of his wife who first watched a film at the family theatre when 3 Idiots released.
Her plan was ambitious and littered with restraints. "I had to retain the regal look and introduce beautification without breaking anything down," explains Mansi, who chose red and black for the seats, and cut their number down by 25 % to allow for more leg space. Civil work for cracked walls, a paint job for the entire auditorium and polishing the wooden roof at the entrance were mundane compared to the challenge a critical pillar at the entrance posed. "It had given way and we wanted an identical one made. My carpenters had to chisel one out from scratch," she says, adding that the grand cylinder cost them Rs 80,000. "But what we spent most generously," Punit laughs, "were our brains."
Cosmetic changes had to be accompanied by first-rate service including online booking, valet parking, a canteen stocked with multiplex eats, air-conditioning and shows dedicated to foreign classics.
Currently hosting the Matterden Centre for Films and Creations, an initiative of the Enlighten Film Society, it will screen Citizen Kane, Metropolis, Rashomon and Roman Holiday. "Cinema goers today are willing to pay for facilities offered," Shobhana says, although for her the old-time samosa will always be a favourite.
THE PLOT BEFORE DEEPAK
Tokershi Jivraj Shah, a trader and landlord, bought the plot where Deepak Talkies stands today from a church in 1926. An old floor plan revealed that a butcher's shop stood where the entrance is located.\
Relative Value Shobhana (65), Punit (30) and Mansi (30)
When Mumbai got its first Hard Rock Cafe, the standard direction to the venue was, 'take the left from Deepak Talkies'.
In the last two decades, the single-screen with a history spanning 80 years was reduced to little more than a landmark. That was until February this year, when heir to the movie hall, Punit Shah and wife Mansi metamorphosed it in an attempt to diversify their audience base from the all-male-front bencher demographic. The 30-year-old's great grandfather, Tokershi Jivraj Shah was a trader who owned land in Sewri and Lower Parel back in the '20s. The plot where Deepak Talkies stands today was bought from a church in 1926, says Punit, who found an old floor plan of the area which suggests that a butcher's shop used to stand where the entrance currently sits.
Before screening films, the venue hosted live performances, circus shows and English plays. "He envisioned an entertainment space inspired by his travels to London, which he frequented as a merchant," says Punit. Deepak became a movie theatre only in the late '30s and screened silent films before the talkies era began.
Years later, Punit's father, Sahadev Deraj Shah, then barely 20, took over in 1958. His contribution was to add the balcony section. "It's where I first met him," remembers Shobhana, Punit's mother, speaking of her late husband. "I accompanied a school friend for a special preview of Gumnaam. It was a scary suspense film and the show started post midnight." Soon, she was joining her husband for special previews at Eros, Liberty and Nehru Planetarium. "He was associated with the Censor Board, so he had to watch almost every film," she adds. Although she turned manager of the theatre, after his death in 1998, Shobhana takes little credit, and has fewer complaints. And she never considered getting the monkey off her back despite some shows going empty. In fact, she admits candidly, she didn't think Punit would take over since he had an MBA and was interested in a career in real estate.
Like Punit, who with his interior designer wife has masterminded Deepak's new life, his father too strived to experiment with innovation, including introducing Dolby sound in the early 90s. "Regal and Deepak were the only ones to," she claims. The visionary, remembers Shobhana, had brought a VCR to India from one of his trips abroad. "This was before VCRs became common-stay in India. Even Jaya Bachchan would borrow our VCR and VHS cassettes of English films," she smiles.
Despite being a cinema owner's son, Punit's friends rarely cashed in with a free show. "I was at Bombay Scottish, and most of my classmates preferred watching English films which we didn't screen," he says, when his mother interrupts him: "But we organised free shows for his entire school a couple of times."
Like most single-screens in Mumbai, Deepak's downfall began in early 2000 with the advent of multiplexes. Comfier seats, flavoured popcorn and the option of picking from a range of films lured audiences away. "Last year, Mansi came up with a plan to redesign the theatre, and we were happy to back her," Punit says of his wife who first watched a film at the family theatre when 3 Idiots released.
Her plan was ambitious and littered with restraints. "I had to retain the regal look and introduce beautification without breaking anything down," explains Mansi, who chose red and black for the seats, and cut their number down by 25 % to allow for more leg space. Civil work for cracked walls, a paint job for the entire auditorium and polishing the wooden roof at the entrance were mundane compared to the challenge a critical pillar at the entrance posed. "It had given way and we wanted an identical one made. My carpenters had to chisel one out from scratch," she says, adding that the grand cylinder cost them Rs 80,000. "But what we spent most generously," Punit laughs, "were our brains."
Cosmetic changes had to be accompanied by first-rate service including online booking, valet parking, a canteen stocked with multiplex eats, air-conditioning and shows dedicated to foreign classics.
Currently hosting the Matterden Centre for Films and Creations, an initiative of the Enlighten Film Society, it will screen Citizen Kane, Metropolis, Rashomon and Roman Holiday. "Cinema goers today are willing to pay for facilities offered," Shobhana says, although for her the old-time samosa will always be a favourite.
THE PLOT BEFORE DEEPAK
Tokershi Jivraj Shah, a trader and landlord, bought the plot where Deepak Talkies stands today from a church in 1926. An old floor plan revealed that a butcher's shop stood where the entrance is located.\
(From left to right: Shobhana Shah, Punit Shah, Mansi Shah and her brother Raj Shah)
Matterden Center: Art-house films get a home at Deepak Talkies
9:14 AM
Sharmila Ganesan (THE TIMES OF INDIA; July 13, 2014)
Lower Parel's Deepak Talkies
might soon be to cinema buffs what Prithvi theatre is to theatre
lovers. This Friday, in the presence of filmmaker Vikramaditya Motwane,
the recently refurbished single-screen welcomed the Matterden Center
for Films and Creation - a first-of-its-kind film centre in the city - to
its premises. The 85-year-old Deepak theatre has now permanently offered
its evening slot to this center for the purpose of screening inspiring
foreign and art-house movies.
“Mumbai loves cinema, mostly the same kind of cinema which gets a lot of space," says Varun Verma, director of the centre. “But a different, new kind of cinema needs a home," adds Verma, citing the Lincoln Film Center in New York that has contributed in creating thoughtful audiences.
So, to begin with, one film will be released every week at the theatre with a daily evening show. The first collection A Line of of films titled 'Classics for Mumbai' includes Kurosawa's 'Rashomon', considered one of the most important works, De Sica's 'Bicycle Thieves' and Buster Keaton's 'The General'.
At the launch, Motwane shared that he discovered classics either at film festivals or on DVDs. “However, the fun of discovering a film in a theatre with like-minded people is magical," said Motwane. “I love the fact that Matterden CFC is doing this because for a new generation to discover 'Bicycle Thieves' or 'Rashomon' or for that matter any other contemporary film in a darkened theatre on a large screen is just magical.“
The idea came up when visitors at the new Deepak Talkies, which was launched in February 2014, saw the British ambience and suggested it would be ideal for hosting arthouse cinema and film festivals. A bit of research led the owner of Deepak, Punit Shah to Enlighten Society, an arts media NGO committed to disseminating and preserving all forms of the arts. Overwhelmed by his decision to offer the premises, and wanting to turn their passion into business, the NGO launched Matterden. “As opposed to a regular theatre, which is just for consumption of cinema, this centre would be a place for creation of it," says Shah, adding that the abundance of open space would be conducive to writers, directors, producers and lyricists to discuss moviemaking, programming and educate film students.
“People want to meet people, not only look at screens," says Verma, adding that holding workshops and discussions are also part of the centre's agenda.
Various filmmakers, international film studios and friends from the film and tech community have pledged their support for this centre. With their help, the centre will shift gears from September onwards towards advance screenings of Indian independent films, creation of a library of books on cinema and organising workshops by animators and filmmakers to create a culture of modern film viewing.
SCHEDULE from July 11 to September 11
One film will be released every Friday at Matterden CFC. One evening show of that film will be held every day throughout the week
11 July-17 July
Bicycle Thieves
18 July-24 July
Roman Holiday
25 July-31 July
The General
1 August-7 August
Citizen Kane
8 August-14 August
City Lights
15 August-21 August
Shadow Of A Doubt
22 August-28 August
Children Of Heaven
29 August-4 September
Seven Samurai
5 September-11 September
Jalsaghar (Satyajit Ray)
“Mumbai loves cinema, mostly the same kind of cinema which gets a lot of space," says Varun Verma, director of the centre. “But a different, new kind of cinema needs a home," adds Verma, citing the Lincoln Film Center in New York that has contributed in creating thoughtful audiences.
So, to begin with, one film will be released every week at the theatre with a daily evening show. The first collection A Line of of films titled 'Classics for Mumbai' includes Kurosawa's 'Rashomon', considered one of the most important works, De Sica's 'Bicycle Thieves' and Buster Keaton's 'The General'.
At the launch, Motwane shared that he discovered classics either at film festivals or on DVDs. “However, the fun of discovering a film in a theatre with like-minded people is magical," said Motwane. “I love the fact that Matterden CFC is doing this because for a new generation to discover 'Bicycle Thieves' or 'Rashomon' or for that matter any other contemporary film in a darkened theatre on a large screen is just magical.“
The idea came up when visitors at the new Deepak Talkies, which was launched in February 2014, saw the British ambience and suggested it would be ideal for hosting arthouse cinema and film festivals. A bit of research led the owner of Deepak, Punit Shah to Enlighten Society, an arts media NGO committed to disseminating and preserving all forms of the arts. Overwhelmed by his decision to offer the premises, and wanting to turn their passion into business, the NGO launched Matterden. “As opposed to a regular theatre, which is just for consumption of cinema, this centre would be a place for creation of it," says Shah, adding that the abundance of open space would be conducive to writers, directors, producers and lyricists to discuss moviemaking, programming and educate film students.
“People want to meet people, not only look at screens," says Verma, adding that holding workshops and discussions are also part of the centre's agenda.
Various filmmakers, international film studios and friends from the film and tech community have pledged their support for this centre. With their help, the centre will shift gears from September onwards towards advance screenings of Indian independent films, creation of a library of books on cinema and organising workshops by animators and filmmakers to create a culture of modern film viewing.
SCHEDULE from July 11 to September 11
One film will be released every Friday at Matterden CFC. One evening show of that film will be held every day throughout the week
11 July-17 July
Bicycle Thieves
18 July-24 July
Roman Holiday
25 July-31 July
The General
1 August-7 August
Citizen Kane
8 August-14 August
City Lights
15 August-21 August
Shadow Of A Doubt
22 August-28 August
Children Of Heaven
29 August-4 September
Seven Samurai
5 September-11 September
Jalsaghar (Satyajit Ray)
85-yr-old Deepak Cinema reopens in new avatar; wants to attract elite audiences
8:39 AM
Sharmila Ganesan-Ram | TNN (THE TIMES OF INDIA; March 9, 2014)
One of the 500 new, red chairs at Lower Parel’s Deepak Talkies is baring its yellow flesh. There is a clean, surgical cut down its middle, a stab Punit Shah felt in his gut when he realised the culprits were two teenagers. They had left the movie hall midway, hands quaking, not out of guilt so much as, perhaps, drug use. It was to deter this very profile of patrons that Shah spent the last nine months sterilising his grandfather’s cinema with air-conditioners, toilet cleaners, recliners, RTIs and other cleansers that together cost him almost as much as a multiplex. His labour pains, however, are yet to fully pay off.
On Valentine’s Day this year, 85-year-old Deepak— one of the oldest cinemas in Mumbai—reopened after nine months, in a new avatar. In place of shutters that would let in a row of rickshaw drivers, construction workers and others for as low as Rs 30, it now boasts two huge black gates that open only slightly and tentatively for those who can pay at least Rs 110. On the gates is a set of rules and the picture of the new, red, reclining, cushioned chair. Inside, there are uniformed security guards who ask for your name in English, toilets with self-locking doors, popcorn that comes from Argentina and high-end amplifiers that make Shah’s office floor shudder every time there’s a thud in the movie.
“I want Deepak to cater to the elite class,” says Punit, the third-generation owner of the theatre that was started by Kutchi land-owner Tokershi Jivraj Ganji in 1926. Besides sentiment, it was partly a 1981 law that says that even if the owner of a cinema theatre revamps it, he can only use it for the purpose of a cinema— that prompted Punit to refurbish the theatre. “I want to offer people a Prithvi theatre-like ambience where they can come in and play the guitar,” says the 30-year-old, who has been careful to hold on to the colonial structure and its various welcoming elements— the long, roofed walk-in, ornate lamps, elegant benches, and most importantly, two huge white stone elephants that stand facing each other, a bit like the logo of this paper.
These are reminders of Deepak’s inception as a circus venue. In the 1920s, the two rear entrances of this cinema would see lions and tigers from the Byculla zoo. Then, when the cinema projector arrived, films were screened chiefly for workers from nearby mills. As mills closed, crowds thinned. The cinema— that has seen everyone from actors Salman Khan to Govinda walk down its porch— soon became what theatre managers used to call “a shifting theatre”. This means that some films would release here only after finishing their run elsewhere, “just to show a silver jubilee run”.
“The ladies’ toilets previously had open latrines, like the gents’,” recalls Punit’s wife, Mansi, amused. “Besides, the doors wouldn’t close so there were people peeping in.” An interior decorator, she took on the onus of redesigning the insides of this family heirloom. It wasn’t easy. “When we broke the POP ceiling of the auditorium, I could see the sky,” recalls Mansi. Nine months later, the theatre now has classy toilets with mirrors, a high-defintion screen, twelve amplifiers (in place of five) and a 2K digital projector. “Basically you will find everything that you find at a multiplex, at subsidized prices,” says Punit.
Few days into reopening, however, it still had the aura of a circus venue. Punit had to deal with the wrath of its erstwhile patrons. Some protested its new richness by breaking its glass box office window while others avenged the loss of affordable entertainment by watching films here. “Local goons would bring tobacco packs and cigarettes inside,” says Punit, one eye on the office TV which plays footage from nine CCTV cameras.
These teething troubles, thankfully, are now over. Corporates have now been requesting him to lend his space for seminars. Some of them promised group bookings for certain Hindi and English films. Last Sunday, a group of 60 Maharashtrian women turned up with their families to watch the Marathi film Fandry. “Their kids even pulled the elephant’s tail,” recalls Mansi. The Shahs are now planning to introduce a ladder so kids can mount the elephants. Just like circus artists once used to.
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