Smruti to reopen as Buty Cineplex, will screen first release on March 21

Nagpur: Keeping their promise to movie lovers in the city, the owners of erstwhile Smruti cinema will be opening the theatre for screenings on March 21 with the release of Akshay Kumar starrer Kesari. The theatre will now be known as Buty Cineplex.
“We are planning to have a soft opening on March 19 and 20 with the popular film Uri-The surgical strikes. I want to begin a new chapter in this theatre’s history by paying homage to our martyrs in the recent terror attack at Pulwama,” says its owner Rohit Buty.

The cinema hall was shut down on September 1, 2018 after the previous management pulled out and the property went back to its owner Vikram Buty. At the time of closing, Vikram’s son Rohit had said that the cinema would be operational as soon as they get the license in their name. “The required license was given to us earlier this week,” Rohit informs. For the past six months the premises had been used for pay and park.

Pushpa Pictures, the firm that manages 35 theatres across the state, will be taking charge of the day to day running of the theatre. “We have put up a world class 5.1 Dolby sound system and 2K Barco projectors which are used for projecting 3D films too,” says Sanjay Surana, proprietor of the firm. The air-conditioning capacity of the theatre has also been enhanced with 150 ton air-conditioners.

“The effort is to give an enhanced cinema viewing experience to the moviegoers. So we are making it not just comfortable but affordable too,” says Buty and informs that the ticket prices have ben kept between Rs60-110. “The booking can be done using Paytm and on Bookmyshow,” adds Surana.

“The ratio of cinema screens in proportion to city’s population is very low,” says Surana and adds that in the last four years, four theatres — Jaishree, Natraj, Regent and Aashirwad — have closed down. “All over the state around 500 single screen cinemas have closed down in the last two years,” he adds. “But the masses always prefer to watch a film in a single screen theatre and we have also experienced that the atmosphere is very charged and vibrant at single screens,” says Surana.

Buty Cineplex has a capacity of approximately 1,000 seats and the biggest screen in the city. Many superhit films here including Lamhe, Dil Toh Pagal Hai, Bombay, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge and Hum aapke Hain Kaun have been released at the theatre since it began screening first in 1984.