Going to AMD Theatre in Bangalore: Not a Typical Day at the Movies - This is India

chillibreeze writer — KC Comal
(taken from Expat Newsletter: Bangalore Breeze)

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A couple of days ago, I thought the kids were looking a little out of sorts. They denied being homesick, but they had been troopers through the rigors of house hunting; I decided we needed a day off. Looked up movie listings and went to the theatre to watch Over the Hedge.

First, we were delighted to see that along with popcorn and nachos they were serving samosas and vegetable puffs. I don’t know why we were so surprised and tickled, but somehow it seemed to make us realize we were really in India. The theatre itself was swanky and plush, even though we had opted for the mid tier seats (about $3.00 each). The truly luxary seats are about $9.00 and you get to sit in individual leather recliners, with a menu you tick off your preferences on, and are served by waiters materializing with the food.

Movie Going India Style...

As it was we gaped at the usher who came around asking us if we wanted coffee, tea or soft drinks. Then halfway through, to my kids’ shock the curtains went down, the lights went up and they experienced their first Intermission. Delighted by the idea that even a short movie allows a brief pause for snacks and restroom trips we get ourselves some goodies to tide us over for the next half.

As we settle back in our seats we see a gentleman walk up to the front of the theater. Introducing himself as a representative of AMD he said that as part of a promotion, he would give out prizes to certain lucky seat numbers. Third prize goes to …. A girl stands up and receives a box. Second prize goes to….a sheepish man collects his prize. The grand prize goes to….”Wait! That is our seat!!” The man heads over to us and to a smattering of applause presents us a box! Inside is a wall clock with all the critters from Over the Hedge parading around it. The kids are ecstatic and we wonder if going to the movies always entails such thrills. No, whispers the lady next to me, not every time.

Halfway through the movie the toddler in front of us starts to wail. I wait for the mother to hurriedly exit, but she just sits, trying to point out over the wails how cute the raccoon was, but to no avail. The wailing continues and we look at each other in bewilderment. I look around and no one else seems bothered by it, although the nearest sitting couple is smiling and nodding at the mother, as if to say, “Kids, what can you do with them”. I tell my two who are staring slack jawed at the wailing tyke to watch the movie. Soon I realize that I haven’t even noticed when the crying stopped, and that one advantage of the high decibel level is that it doesn’t matter if your neighbor is trading stocks on his cell phone, you can only hear the hyperactive squirrel and Bruce Willis urging him on to a life of petty crime. It was an interesting window to the attitude of most Indians. Life happens, babies cry, it won’t kill anyone to have their comfort compromised briefly by crying babies or late deliveries. Hakuna Matata!

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—About our writer:

"KC refuses to limit herself to one label. Among the many hats she wears are: Full time mom, part time writer, teacher, chef, art collector, gardener, quilter and extremely good vacationer. She has lived in Northern California for close to 20 years and has spent most of those years stopping frequently to smell the roses and plant some lavender. After two decades in Silicon Valley her husband will be working from Bangalore. KC has two children, a 12 year old daughter and an 8 year old son.