Swanky Sterling to reopen

A major south Mumbai landmark, Sterling Theatre, has now given way to a swanky three-screen multiplex, which will soon throw its doors open for many film buffs. A favourite hangout of film goers since 1969, the Tata-owned Sterling, had downed shutters in May last year for a renovation undertaken by the management itself.

“We are moving with the times. The rate at which movies are being churned out these days, the three screens at our Cineplex will give us the opportunity to cater to a bigger audience,” general manager, Kaizad Mistry, told DNA. Though Mistry is not ready to disclose the exact date, industry insiders tell that the multiplex will be inaugurated next week.

The newly refurbished Sterling boasts of being the first cinema complex in India to have THX certified cinema, a technology designed to recreate the acoustics and the ambience of a movie studio. Besides there will also be a food court that will be open to the non-movie crowds. “Today, multiplexes are not just a set of screens showing different movies at the same time, but are also a popular hangout that makes patrons come back for more,” Mistry adds.

The old Sterling theatre had a distinct culture of its own and catered to a niche upmarket English-speaking audience. The theatre was the first to introduce Dolby sound and Xenon projection technologies. It also has the distinction of being the first movie hall in the city to have matinee shows which brought in hordes of students from the surrounding colleges.  Sterling was also the first to introduce late night shows as a strategy for niche audience marketing. The shows went on to become immensely popular by attracting the cream of Bombay society.