For a few points more... Review on BIG Cinemas - Bejai - Mangalore

Disclaimer

This is a review on Adlabs Hyderabad and not Mangalore, but as there is no category of Adlabs Hyd and I have mouthpadded the same, will request the MS team to shift to appropriate category once the same is created.

Friends, you know how hard life on MS is without sufficient points. If someone sends you a gift you cannot reciprocate, if you want to send someone a gift yourself you still need points. And not to mention the recent inflation related increase in the cost of gift items that Faisal himself took great pains to explain. In short if you simply let up on your activities here, you shall be doomed to an existence of a pauper.

So as I need some points too, I’m writing this review on Ad labs, Hyderabad. Frankly there would be no other reason I would like to ever relive my one and only experience with this multiplex. Now let’s begin a little systematically...

The Approach and theParking. Ad labs are on the top floor of the Big Bazaar building here in Hyderabad.  This is an extremely crowded area and the main road that leads up to this place is always crowded with traffic moving at a snail’s pace. So now let’s assume you are a determined kind of person and leave your house well before the show timings to account for the traffic. But what you would not have accounted for in that case would be the parking woes.

Getting in to the complex from the main road is nothing short of a nightmare. Without wasting too much time here, I would recommend another half an hour be accounted for parking your vehicle especially if it’s a four wheeler and needs going into the basement parking.  And for the ones endowed with a lesser physique, I would strongly suggest coming on a public transport.

The Complex, So now that you’ve managed to park your car, be sure to catch the lift from the basement itself. It’s almost impossible to board it from any other floor, not only for the number of people trying to get in but also for the sheer lack of frequency that it comes at. Even if you did not bring a car it might be a good idea to go down to the parking just to board the lift while there is still some space left in it. After all climbing up the stairs for all the five floors through some dirty and junk lined staircases might be an idea that might not appeal to all.

With the overcrowded Big Bazaar operating on the first four floors you would anyway want to give that the miss.   On the fourth floor there is a food court, but if you value your health even a wee bit you would surely eat well before leaving home. Because though the place has all kinds of variety of foods starting from south Indian to Mexican to Thai, to Chinese to Continental, all the food is essentially substandard and is more than likely to give you a stomachache the next day if not immediately.

Ad labs itself has about 5-6 theaters that are nothing to talk about. The décor and the music system in the theatre itself is actually not bad and of acceptable quality. However do make sure that you book your seats from the booking window itself as they have no system of choosing your seats if you make a booking on phone from home. And also since all tickets are costing only Rs 100 you would have no way of telling which seats are going to be allocated to you. Further you also have to show up one hour in advance at the window to claim your tickets otherwise they can be allocated to someone else.

The Facilities, The toilets at the complex are less than satisfactory. Never too clean and smelling as well. The options of snacks are also not too many. The checking at the time of entry is also a very messy affair and you could be forgiven for thinking that you’re trying to catch an international flight with a red corner alert having been recently sounded for some bomb threat.

The Exit, If you think that your nightmare is over at the completion of the film, think again.  The getting out is another struggle that you’re going to remember for a long time. Following the exit signs and moving along with the crowd should normally have taken you out of the complex. But no, the guards of Big Bazaar at all the exit points in the corridor have been told not to let anyone escape through there, so you shall be obliged to carry on till you have climbed down to the basement where the car parking was there. Now if you did not park your car there you have no option but to either take the same over crowded lift back up that you took in the beginning of the experience, to get to the ground floor or climb up the ramp to reach the road level.

Conclusion, So if you have finally made it up to here with all your belongings all I can say is CONGRTULATIONS! But don’t count on your lucky stars all the time. The next time may not be so good...