History will be created in a week’s time. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), the longest running film in cinemas in the world, will complete 30 golden years on October 20. The Shah Rukh Khan-Kajol starrer continues to draw audiences at Mumbai’s Maratha Mandir, where it’s playing daily at 11:30 am. What’s enticing is that the ticket prices are still kept firmly in check. Manoj Desai, the Executive Director of Maratha Mandir and G7 Multiplex aka Gaiety-Galaxy, spoke about this aspect in an interview with Digital Commentary.
Maratha Mandir’s Manoj Desai explains why he hiked the prices of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge by Rs. 10: “We got a WARNING…”
Manoj Desai said, “We have kept the lowest rates thanks to our managing director, Mr Arun Nahar. Very recently, we had to increase the rates. This is because we got a warning from the Theatre Owners Association. They told me that since I sell tickets for such a low price, other cinemas have raised objections. Other cinemas like Metro, New Excelsior sell tickets for Rs. 150 or Rs. 200.”
At this point, a staff member informed the host, “Stall tickets are priced at Rs. 30 while balcony tickets are sold for Rs. 50. Earlier, a ticket in the balcony cost Rs. 40 and now we have increased it to Rs. 50.”
Manoj Desai explained, “We had to increase it (by Rs. 10) kyunki sab logon ne bahut tokna shuru kiya. Hence, I had a meeting with Arun ji. Credit goes to him (for keeping the rates affordable). Look at Gaiety-Galaxy. Our rates are at the lowest, chahe koi badi se badi picture kyun na ho.”
Talking about G7, Manoj Desai revealed, “At present, the rates in Gaiety-Galaxy are Rs. 130 and Rs. 160. There are cinemas nearby like Bandra Talkies (MovieTime Suburbia), New Talkies (PVR Le Reve), Milan (Gold Cinema Santacruz) etc. They sell tickets at double the prices of Gaiety-Galaxy. Lekin humein public chahiye. During Pushpa 2, the whole world had increased rates exponentially. We were the only exceptions.”
He added, “Mr Arun Nahar believes that instead of being desperate to find public, why not keeps rates cheap and let the public come to our cinemas in hordes? He made it clear, ‘Let the public come. I don’t want empty theatres’. Those were his golden words.”
More Pages: Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge Box Office Collection
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