Satish Kaushik

Set to launch his mobile theatre today, Satish Kaushik says he’s making cinema available for as little as Rs 35

Satish Kaushik

To make cinema accessible for people in smaller towns and rural parts of the country, filmmaker Satish Kaushik has launched a make-shift theatre that will travel to villages on a truck. The Mobile Digital Movie Theatre (MDMT) will be launched in Delhi today by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.

The trucks that will tour 10 cities

Ten theatre units will hit the roads in a couple of months, each of which is named after a famous Bollywood movie, or character. Select names allotted to the trucks include Mr India, Baahubali, Shehanshah and Don. Kaushik tells mid-day that he intends to price the tickets between Rs 35 to Rs 75, based on how recent the film that is being screened is. While tickets will be available for purchase on the MDMT mobile application and the counter, on the spot, the unit is “also planning to collaborate with ticketing websites like Bookmyshow,” says Kaushik.

A screening being held inside the truck

The central government is enabling the actor to take his portable theatre to different villages across India. They have yet to decide the places that the screenings will be held at. “Though the government is not funding the initiative, it is supporting us by ensuring that we can 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,” says Kaushik.

The seating arrangement within the truck

A theatre of this nature, Kaushik feels, is an easy way to provide entertainment in a country where real-estate prices are always soaring high. “Having a portable theatre that’s real-estate independent and low on regulatory compliances [would be] apt,” says Kaushik, who has also got private funding partners on board the initiative. Talking about the features of the mini cinema hall, he says, “Each MDMT will have a 22-foot screen with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. It will be air-conditioned and will seat around 200 people. The hall will only have one category of tickets as we want to offer affordable cinema.”

Also Read: 25 years later, Satish Kaushik apologises, while Anil Kapoor cherishes the memory

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‘Billion Color Story’ is a special movie for more than one reason. Firstly, it’s a film under the banner of Satish Kaushik who is largely known for his comic movies. Secondly, this fantastic movie tells the innocent tale of a young boy who is born to a Hindu mother and a Muslim father, and sees the religious intolerance through his young eyes.

The movie is winning accolades all over the world and has won many awards at the London Indian Film festival. The major factor that is the reason for its popularity is the fact that the sentiments are for all Hindus and Muslims around the world who are dragged in the fight for religion.

Cinema is a wonderful medium to sometimes show what we glorify and sometimes to show what we wrongly glorify in the name of love and communalism.

Satish Kaushik's mobile theatre to have tickets priced between Rs 35 to Rs 75

This Movie Highlights The Problem Of Religious Intolerance andamp Is Winning Big At The London Indian Film Festival