A DAY AT MAYAJAAL

As you drive down the East Coast Road, some 18 kms from the heart of Chennai is Mayajaal. Inviting in its isolation, this huge multiple Entertainment complex, is unique not only in the sense that it is one of its kind in Chennai, but also in the whole of India.

As you walk into the complex, past the ticketing counter on the right, is a pool parlour and a gaming alley with 50 different games, catering to the 5 - 55 age group and beyond. On the left is the shopping area, which sells Mayajaal-themed Merchandise. On offer are themed-books, notebooks, telephone indexes, mugs, t-shirts, fashion jewellery, pens and CDs of animation movies made by PentaMedia, namely Sindbad and Pandavas.

A tour of the first floor takes you to an 8-lane bowling alley, which is the biggest in Chennai and till recently was the biggest in India, before someone started a bigger bowling alley with more lanes in Jaipur. 

And then you move on to the six theatres, which are all 150-seaters. With their Dolby Digital or Digital Theatre Systems (DTS) and electronic hi-resolution projection, the theatres are a sight for sore eyes. The sheer cleanliness of the place leaves you absolutely amazed! On offer is a good mix of international and domestic movies. And the timings of the shows are such that you do not have to wait for more than half an hour to watch the movies. Some or the other theatre will start a show within a half hour difference.

Also the theatres have a separate entrance, and one need not get into the complex to access the theatres. According to R Muralikrishnan, the Guest Relations Manager at Mayajaal, "with the ticket value of Rs 40/-, our theatres are in direct competition with those in the city". He also adds that, "Mayajaal will soon start releasing the latest 20th Century Fox and Columbia Pictures movies as soon as they are released in India". Apart from the regular fare, moviegoers can look forward to theme-based movies in the future. 

The main area or the centre Atrium as they call it serves as a food court. It is sometimes used for organising events or games. The large screen (Barco - Rear Projection System) placed diagonally opposite to the restaurant also serves as a crowd controller. According to Muralikrishnan, the place is 'jammed', with around 2000 people coming in on Sundays. Invariably there is a huge queue for food, for the games or for the bowling; and when the crowd becomes uncontrollable, they play clippings of the Indian and Australian Cricket team's visit to Mayajaal, on the huge screen, which almost always simmers them down.  

During the weekdays, on an average, they have around 400 people coming in. Mayajaal is closed on Mondays for maintenance. And what goes into maintaining such a huge place? " 30 people working round the clock on general maintenance and 18 on technical maintenance", says Muralikrishnan. A mammoth task, considering the fact that you have to keep up six theatres, one huge gaming arcade with 50 games, one big bowling alley, the food court and the shopping area up and running from 11 a.m. to 11.30 p.m.

The food court is run by Stop At Sams, you have a wide variety of cuisine to choose from -North Indian, South Indian, Mughlai, Chinese....etc. On cards are some interesting tie-ups with a few other popular brands to complement the Food Court. Next to the shopping area is the Kid Care Centre, which has two attendants, who take care of children below five years of age.

According to Muralikrishnan, they had allotted more space for shopping, and also they had a beauty parlour and a net café, when they started out. But their feedbacks told them that people did not want to spend money on general shopping, when they come in for entertainment. So the shopping area was reduced to concentrate only on themed merchandise. Also very few people are interested in browsing. The gaming arcade seems to be a huge hit with entertainment starved Chennai, so they are planning to put in more games in the future.

If you want a break from your maddening routine, take off on a weekday, preferably Thursdays. The comfortable interiors allows you 'just to be yourself'. You can watch a couple of movies, play games, bowl, shop, eat or simply hibernate. As Muralikrishnan puts it, "There is no likelihood of bumping into your dad or your friends, and even if you do, there is ample space to get yourself lost in".

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