MUMBAI: Ajay Devgn is putting his name on cinema screens—literally. The actor launched Devgn Cinex on Maha Navami, rebranding the NY Cinemas chain at North Bombay’s Durga Puja celebrations alongside his wife, actor Kajol. The move signals an aggressive expansion play across Indian metros and the south, backed by Vishwa Samudra Holdings.
Vishwa Samudra group managing director Shivdutt Das hailed the rebrand as more than cosmetic. The company promises to turn multiplexes into “spaces of innovation, comfort, and culture”, deploying premium formats and what it calls “immersive experiences”. Whether that means reclining seats, better sound systems or something more ambitious remains unclear—cinema chains have long promised whilst delivering incremental upgrades.
NY Cinemas has operated quietly for years, but the Devgn tie-up suggests plans to compete with PVR Inox, which dominates India’s multiplex market with over 1,700 screens, and Cinépolis, which runs around 450.
Devgn, one of Indian cinema’s bankable stars and a producer through his Devgn Films banner, brings celebrity firepower to a sector recovering from pandemic losses and grappling with streaming competition.
The emphasis on south India is telling. Regional-language films have outperformed Hindi movies at the box office in recent years, with Tamil and Telugu blockbusters like Pushpa and RRR drawing massive crowds. Metros in Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad have become battlegrounds for cinema chains chasing affluent audiences willing to pay premium ticket prices.
Vishwa Samudra Holdings operates across real estate, hospitality and entertainment. Its bet on Devgn Cinex suggests it sees room for another national player, despite consolidation that saw PVR and Inox merge last year.
Says a media observer: “There’s a shortage of cinema screens in India compared to its massive 1.5 billion or so population. The population is underserved, which has stunted the growth of Indian cinema. The more the screens, the better can be the box office collections for good productions.”
But whether Indian audiences need yet another multiplex brand—celebrity-backed or not—to fill that gap is another question entirely.