The family members of veteran actor Sivaji Ganesan and real estate developer Akshaya Private Limited came together to announce the launch of ‘Akshaya Shanti’-- office suites for businesses and enterprises at the Shanti Theatre complex on Anna Salai.
Nearly four years ago, the family members of the late actor had announced that they were going to shut down the theatre, a landmark building on Anna Salai, and redevelop the property.
Shanti theatre, built by G. Umapathy and D. Shanmuga Raja, was originally inaugurated in 1961 and later bought by actor Sivaji Ganesan.
“While there were initially several options as to how to redevelop the property, we worked with Akshaya and ultimately decided to go with state-of-the-art office suites which will be unique to this area. We had our initial apprehensions about the redevelopment since this is a building that my father bought, but the builders have ensured that they will retain something to remember him by, here,” said actor Prabhu.
The gate to the building as well as the walls leading up to the entrance have the names of Sivaji Ganesan’s most memorable films. The lobby of the building too has large black and white photographs of the actor depicting some of his popular on-screen characters.
The grade A project can either house a single big corporate office or multiple mid-sized corporate offices spread across six floor plates. There is also a gymnasium, landscaped terrace gardens, and car park with a capacity of 134 vehicles and a cafeteria planned.
T. Chitty Babu, Chairman and CEO of Akshaya Pvt Limited said that the facility was gold-certified by the Indian Green Building Council. “With its proximity to the Metro Rail and other transport networks, we hope that this becomes the go-to grade A office space in this area for businesses and enterprises,” he said.