Chennai’s iconic Casino Theatre will re-open with Ajith and Shraddha Srinath-starrer Nerkonda Paarvai on August 8.
The Hindu reports that the theatre, which was under renovation, now has revamped interiors with upgraded audio and projector systems. Cushioned seats have replaced the old wooden ones. The building, however, remains untouched.
The spokesperson for the theatre said, “We are trying our best to give the audiences a satisfying theatrical experience. Our original plan was to open the theatre sometime in the second week of August. Since it’s Ajith Kumar’s movie, we are slogging day and night to open with Nerkonda Paarvai.”
SPI Cinemas were the stake holders of the theatre until earlier this year when an independent body bought the lease. It is one of the oldest theatres in Chennai, built in 1941 by JH Irani, an ice factory owner, and designed by his engineer son Firoz.
The theatre initially screened only English movies. In the 1950s, they started playing Tamil movies, before going back to popular Hollywood action and adult films. By 2000, it became a go-to for Telugu cinema lovers.
When SPI Cinemas took over, they replaced 35mm projections with 2K ones, and also painted a portrait of Vyjayanthimala on the building as tribute to the actress.
Director H Vinoth’s much-awaited Nerkonda Paarvai will release on August 8. The film stars Ajith, Shraddha Srinath, Abhirami Venkatachalam, Andrea Tariang among others. Yuvan Shankar Raja is the music composer. ‘Agalaathey’, a lyric video featuring Ajith and Vidya Balan has just released. Other songs from the film, ‘Vaanil Irul’, ‘Kaalam’ and ‘Thee Mugam Thaan’ are also trending.
The film is censored with a U/A certificate and reportedly has a run-time of 158 minutes, 10 minutes longer than the original. After Nerkonda Paarvai, the film’s producer Boney Kapoor will collaborate with Ajith and H Vinoth once again for an action-film.
Image Courtesy: Flickr.com
