New Delhi, March 30: The Gangaraju theatre in Amalapuram which is going to show India-Pak World Cup match on Wednesday.
Rajahmundry: Konaseema region is in the grip of a cricket fever with the India-Pakistan semi-final match of the World Cup just a few hours away. There is widespread tension among people and a buzz in the villages and towns with regard to the keen contest between the two neighbouring countries at Mohali. However, for cricket lovers in Konaseema there is good news. Some cinemas have decided to suspend the shows on Wednesday to show the match live on the big screen. Two cinemas put up a number of signboards since the last three days at different places in the town to catch the attention of youth and cricket lovers.
Amalapuram, 75 km from here, has nine theatres and a good number of engineering colleges, besides a medical college. The surrounding area too is dotted with several engineering colleges and a medical college. Says Garapati Srinivas, leaseholder of Gangaraju theatre: “We are currently showing the Telugu movie ‘Gangaputrulu’. But I have cancelled the matinee and first show of the film, and, instead, have made plans to screen the India-Pakistan match.” The theatre management has fixed two different rates for the special screening, Rs.50 and Rs.100. All the tickets were sold out within two days as in the case of tickets of a blockbuster movie.
Another theatre in Kothapeta also followed in the footsteps of Gangaraju theatre, but they got the idea one day late. They too have caught the attention of cricket enthusiasts and have fixed the price of the ticket for the match at Rs.100.
In Rajahmundry, some people are using home theatres to watch the high-octane thriller, some others on 16 mm screens, and some in star hotels. The Vindu Hotel in Ravulapalem is showing the match on a large screen along with dinner and drinks. Hotel Anand Regency, a three-star hotel in Rajahmundry, has put up a big screen in its ‘Pandiri’ hall and is charging Rs.200 for a ticket with vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes and a complimentary drink to boot!
–Agencies