See You At The Movies
About two decades back, the thought of watching a movie in a theatre would bring great excitement to our minds. We would arrive outside cinema halls at least two hours before the show to stand in serpentine queues to buy tickets. There was always a fear that the ticket counter would soon get closed with a board stating “house full”. To our rescue were a group of bootleggers whom one would turn to when the chances were all bleak. Over the years, movie theatres have been facing business threats starting from satellite television to OTT (Over The Top) platforms. During the surge of cable television in the late 90s in India, the newly released movies were shown in pirated form by the cable guy. The concept of ‘No Piracy’ was not considered sacrosanct then and now with mobile phones, it is even easier for youngsters to watch leaked movies online the very next day of a movie release. So, the craze for watching a movie in a theatre has been gradually vanishing. We have satellite tel...