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Tag: Sanjeev Bijli

  • PVR and Nodwin Gaming bring e-sports to cinemas

    PVR and Nodwin Gaming bring e-sports to cinemas

    Mumbai: PVR Ltd and e-sports company Nodwin Gaming on Monday announced their partnership to launch India’s first in-cinema e-sports live tournament together. The pilot will commence with the popular game “Battlegrounds Mobile India” (BGMI) and going forward it will include games from different genres, said the statement.

    This initiative is expected to fast-track e-sports entertainment’s growth trajectory in India by combining the appeal of e-sports gaming with the magic of big-screen experience. The quarter-final, semi-final, and finals of the cups, in each participating city, will be broadcasted in select PVR cinemas, along with live streams on various digital platforms, including Nodwin Facebook page and YouTube page and the PVR mobile app.

    “Nodwin Gaming has always emphasised on the importance of reinforcing grassroots development that can be a strong and reliable foundation for esports, and this property is a step in that direction,” said Nodwin Gaming MD & co-founder Akshat Rathee. “City-level penetration of professional esports leads to solid exposure for the grassroots ecosystem and as seen in the past, the more exposed the grassroots is, the better it gets at the higher tiers. This, in turn, paves the way for the collective growth of all tiers of professional players.”

    Commenting on the partnership he added, “Our association with PVR cinemas opens a corridor towards mainstreaming esports and placing it right in the middle of the entertainment industry. E-sports as an upcoming medium of interactive entertainment has had its fair share of visibility in the jam-packed arenas but it’s about time that we bring action to the silver screen. Nodwin, along with building grassroots, will also give its audience a premium watching experience with this partnership.”

    According to a statement, the partnership introduces larger-than-life experiences for all e-sports fans across the country and will be able to participate in online e-sports cups and in-cinema tournaments with separate prize pools for each city.

    “At PVR, we strive to continually evolve as an entertainment destination, offering our customers the opportunity to have an entertaining escape into more than just big films,” stated PVR Ltd joint managing director Sanjeev Kumar Bijli. “Our immersive environment lends itself particularly well to the gaming community, putting players in the universes in which they are competing.”

    “Our purpose at PVR is to gather, grow and entertain communities. With us becoming a part of the Indian e-sports eco-system, we have the opportunity to serve our purpose by giving PVR communities another entertaining way to gather on our esports platform. Nodwin team has a relentless passion for gaming, we are delighted to be partnering with them on this initiative,” noted PVR Ltd chief of strategy Kamal Gianchandani.

  • PVR Cinemas pilots the Delhi Edition of the Year Round Programme by MAMI

    PVR Cinemas pilots the Delhi Edition of the Year Round Programme by MAMI

    MUMBAI: PVR Cinemas, with its storied history of becoming the leading exhibitor and an eminent platform for all things cinematic launched the Year Round Programme by Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI) in Delhi.

    An epic city-wide celebration of global filmmaking culture and star-studded special screening at PVR ECX, Chanakya marked the official curtain call of the programme’s Delhi Edition. The two-day launch event premiered two of the most sought-after films of the year – Wes Anderson’s Isle of Dogs and Ari Aster’s Hereditary on the 9th & 10th of June 2018 ahead of their India release. 

    The launch party was officially opened by Ajay Bijli, Managing Director, PVR Ltd and Sanjeev Bijli, Joint Managing Director, PVR Ltd; along with Board Members of MAMI – Zoya Akhtar, Anurag Kashyap, Vishal Bharadwaj and the leadership team of MAMI – Anupama Chopra and Smriti Kiran bringing the best and latest films from all over the world to a city that has always spearheaded support in cultivating art and culture.

    PVR Ltd, Managing Director, Ajay Bijli said “Year Round Programme by MAMI represents one of the first opportunities for audiences in Delhi to see the very best from across the globe. This was a natural progression for us to support. PVR has always encouraged and facilitated people to build a relationship with a broad range of films, ensuring that film culture can be accessed and enjoyed by everyone across. With this launch, PVR aspires to bring together distinguished industry specialists and discerning movie lovers through accessible screenings, panels, workshops and showcasing cinema that embraces diversity, innovation and unique perspectives. Aimed at featuring critically acclaimed filmmakers, industry professionals, and award-winning talent around the world, this programme is rich with opportunity – to stay informed, be challenged, feel the pleasure of escape and see the world differently.”

    Anupama Chopra said, “I am thrilled that in the 20th year of MAMI, we are stepping out of Mumbai. We hope we can help foster a great cinema culture in Delhi. Thank you PVR for all your support.”

    PVR Ltd, Joint Managing Director, Sanjeev Kumar Bijli said “We are delighted to partner with MAMI and launch a screening event in the national capital, Delhi. Led by Kiran Rao, Anupama Chopra and Smriti Kiran, MAMI has established itself as a premier film festival and is recognized globally as a platform to showcase some of the best cinema in the world. From the red carpet premiers, to the carefully selected and curated films, it’s an event that everyone looks forward to. At PVR, we are proud of our ongoing association, and it gives us immense pleasure to be able to bring this to our ardent fans of great cinema in Delhi.” 

    MAMI, Creative Director, Smriti Kiran said “We are so thrilled to get the MAMI Year Round Programme to the film lovers in Delhi! Our commitment is to showcase the best of the cinema for movie lovers and create a strong film culture in the city. To alter sensibility, you have to engage regularly and facilitate viewers to celebrate and dissect, discuss and debate, engage and argue, agree and disagree about what they love most: Cinema. We are grateful to PVR Cinemas for being the MAMI champions and partnering with us yet again in our endeavour to nurture audiences and build a cinema viewing culture for the cinephiles in the country. We have big plans for Dilli!”

    The MAMI Year Round Programme launched in 2016 in Mumbai, is a one of a kind film programme started with the belief that it is not enough to have a week-long film festival. The Academy now hosts weekly screenings, workshops and conversation sessions for film lovers in the country. This has given us a year-long imprint and presence as opposed to presence only for a week in the year. Through this unique curation, passionate movie nuts can sign up and get free access to the best and latest Indian and International films throughout the year. 

    What makes the Delhi Edition even more special is that it will happen at the newly launched PVR ECX, Chanakyapuri. The property holds great nostalgic value for Delhiites as it is the brand new avatar of the iconic Chanakya cinema showcasing a wide spectrum of great content that is the cornerstone of MAMI. 

    Till date, The MAMI Year Round Programme in Mumbai has screened over 40 films which include Lady Bird, The Square, Zama, The Shape of Water, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missourie and Village Rockstars. There are about 7000+ members enrolled for this programme.

  • PVR watermark and trained staff help detect piracy, says Sanjeev Bijli, targets 1000 screens by ’20

    PVR watermark and trained staff help detect piracy, says Sanjeev Bijli, targets 1000 screens by ’20

    NEW DELHI: It had always been a favourite meeting place until it closed down over a decade ago, and it was sorely missed. The Chanakya cinema was the only theatre in Chanakyapuri — the capital’s diplomatic enclave — and so it exhibited either English or blockbuster films. But, an unseemly dispute with the New Delhi Municipal Corporation forced the lease-holders to shut shop.

    However, the theatre has reopened in a new avatar – and helped the PVR Cinemas touch the 600-screen mark with PVR Cinema CMD Ajay Bijli confident of touching the 1000-screen mark by 2020.

    The property was later acquired on a 15-year lease by DLF who have developed it as a shopping complex and PVR developed a part of it as a three-screen theatre.

    PVR joint managing director Sanjeev Bijli told Indiantelevision.com that around 3.5 per cent of the budget of the PVR chain has been set aside for publicity and promotion. In a brief talk on the sidelines of a press meet to unveil the new theatre, he said, answering a question relating to piracy, that every frame appearing on the screen carried the PVR watermark and so piracy could be easily detected.

    Bijli also said that the staff had been trained to keep a watch on viewers using mobiles to ensure the screen image was not copied. He said the tagline ECX meant Enhanced Cinema Experience — a greater emphasis on the latest sound technology, and silver screens which ensured a better viewing experience.

    In its new incarnation, PVR ECX Chanakya unveils the most opulent cinema format in India with its 4K projection system, next-generation 3D-enabled screens with ultra HD picture quality and Dolby ATMOS surround-sound system in all auditoriums. The new cinema also offers Quick Tix, PVR’s digital ticketing solution to promote cashless transactions and reduce ticket-wait times. The cinema also offers an automated F&B kiosk Quick Bites for the first time ever, wherein patrons’ can either pick up their order from the counter or get it served on their seat.

    Being a PVR ECX property, there is special emphasis on ambience manifested by a deep focus on design, colours and lighting in each cinema. Designed by the Madrid-based STUDIO GRONDA, the revamped PVR ECX has magnificent lobby spaces, custom-made chandeliers, prime marbles, dynamic auditorium lights, and unparalleled technological integrations.

    Sanjeev Bijli said the chain had started out in 1997 after an agreement between Priya from India and Village Roadshow of Australia, and begun with Anupam PVR in Saket in South Delhi and grown in 20 years to its present capacity and along the way acquired the Cinemax and DT chains.

    Earlier, at the press meet, Ajay Bijli regretted that the cinema had been treated as a luxury item despite fact that ticket prices varied between Rs 125 and Rs 550 and the blended tax under GST had been fixed at 28 per cent despite a demand for keeping it low at 18 per cent.

    PVR CEO Gautam Dutta said that the marketing and consumer support had helped the keep its rates steady. He said that adequate publicity would be given to show timings when the rate was as low as Rs 125 to ensure consumer support. He said art and technology make for good cinema and, with the tastes of the consumer changing, it was important to keep ahead of the curve.

    To a question, he said that both English and Indian blockbuster films would be screened at Chanakya, now.

    Ajay Bijli said that 21 other screens were ready for launching in other places but the clearances for the Chanakya heritage property came early, and so this was the first to touch 600 screens.