Cinema Scope

Now,brothers and business partners,Ajay and Sanjeev K Bijli clearly have their hands full. Apart from these two films,several others including Dibakar Banerjee’s Shanghai are in the pipeline. Their core business of multiplex chain along with distribution of Hollywood and Bollywood films,has the duo shuttling between Mumbai and Delhi,their hometown. So it takes close to three months and several failed attempts before we finally meet.

One of the first in India to introduce the concept of Dolby sound systems in theatres,PVR is credited with reviving the theatre culture which faced a slump in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. Ajay recollects that he was only a college graduate when his father handed him the responsibility of running their family’s transport business as well as the single screen theatre Priya in Delhi’s Vasant Enclave. “Like a good son,I devoted myself equally to both. Priya’s location in the upmarket neighbourhood made screening English films a viable option. So I refurbished the theatre and installed the sound system,and the idea clicked.”

Ajay,a movie-buff,soon found his calling in the theatre business. Giving up the transport business,the entrepreneur — with ideas from the West and support from financiers and builders — expanded the project beyond Delhi. “We knew the success of any business lies in scalability. Malls and shopping complexes were the latest infrastructure trend, and they helped,” adds Sanjeev,the more reticent of the siblings.

Though PVR established itself as the first multiplex chain,with units in nearly a dozen cities in the first two years of its existence,competition followed soon. “It doesn’t quite matter. The market is big enough for all players. We are introspective by nature and our focus lies on outdoing ourselves,” asserts the 42-year-old Ajay.

However,the competition has resulted in steep ticket pricing,especially at their flagship properties in Juhu and Phoenix Mills. With a sigh,Sanjeev concedes,“The pricing is high at the locations with exorbitant rentals. But if the feedback from the audience we receive is consistently negative,we will review our strategy.” The 37-year-old adds that while the multiplex culture encouraged small-budget films initially,the ticket pricing has made them “non-viable”.

Clearly,it is the passion that the Bijli brothers share for providing the audience with unmatched viewing experience that has established PVR as the key player in the film exhibition business. “And with Action Replayy and Khelein Hum Jee Jan Sey,we hope to catch up on the production aspect too,” the brothers say.