Behind the Screen

Photos: Suneesh Suresh

Uday H Nazare, is probably one you want to befriend if you love movies. This charming young man knows all about movies. He clearly loves his job and why not? He has done a wonderful job with PVR Lulu which is the second in India in terms of most number of visitors. When Mr Uday talked to FWD Business, the excitement he had on each and every word he spoke and the twinkle in his eyes shows how much he appreciates what he is doing. Uday Nazare is the person who strives with sheer passion to make your cinema experience even better.

What is the cinema experience in PVR like?

PVR as of now stands as the market leader in cinema exhibition, PVR Lulu is the largest multiplex in Kerala. We have 9 screens with an average of 45-47 shows a day. Since it has pioneered in the exhibition industry it is one of the recognized brands in cinema experience. PVR remains on top because of the ambience and the latest technology it possess. There is vibrancy in the décor and in the experience a person has.

Future expansion across Kerala?

We are already planning to have two more cinemas, one in Calicut and the other in Thiruvananthapuram. Talks are going on that and hopefully it will be on in couple of years. So we definitely are having some growth and PVR will never neglect Kerala as PVR Lulu is the second busiest cinema in India right now. After Bangalore, we have the maximum customers on an average of 1.5 lakh customers in a month. That kind of occupancy is very rarely seen in India.

Is there any difference in PVR Lulu compared to other places?

There is much difference being a public limited company. Everything is standardized. Only difference is the ambience and décor. Our design team is very conscious of its particular design for each multiplex across the country. The lobby in PVR Lulu is very vibrant which is fully lit and glossy in front of every auditorium. That kind of design can’t be seen anywhere else. Apart from that service, experience and technology at all PVRs are same.

Which language movies get more audience in PVR Lulu?

Malayalam movies get more audience. 70% of movie shows here are Malayalam. The rest is either Hindi or English. In-between we also show Tamil as well as Telugu movies. We also want to boost Malayalam films as well. We don’t want to hurt the local sentiments. We also keep in mind that there are many in Kochi who comes to work here from other parts of the country. So we try to keep a balance. We usually don’t change a film on the midst of a week. That can be an inconvenience for the customers. We have also experimented with few cinemas. Recently we did a director’s special on which we showed art films and plays. Almost two years back we also screened a documentary on Mr. P K Nair on how he was archiving films. So we have played documentaries too.

How do you rate PVR compared to other multiplexes?

The feel you get in PVR is better than any other multiplex you will go to. The quality we provide is incomparable. We are expanding like anything. We don’t want to do it just for the sake of it either. We want to be the best. We are the best right now.

Recently there was a lot of talk on how multiplexes charge so heavily for food and beverages and how highly they fare the tickets.

Movie experience has changed with multiplexes. We cannot be compared with local cinemas at all. Local cinemas in order to protect their cost and profit will not give that kind of quality and cinema experience. However Kerala is much better compared to some other states. But in PVR whatever we do are completely of a different class—right from the screen quality to the food and beverage we serve. We don’t compromise on anything. It is okay that if it costs us a bit more. We have to make sure the safety and entertainment of customer is top class. For that the systems and procedures are costlier. That reason the cinema going experience here are costlier compared to local theatres. If you compare the ticket prizes here with ours in Mumbai or Bangalore you will find it to be lower by almost 50%.

Safety and maintenance of PVR LuLu?

I would say it is probably the safest in Kerala. For us safety comes first before any other operation. If I find something unsafe for the customers or the employees I will not start the operations. We have regular drills. We are very keen on safety matters. I want my family to come over to PVR as it is very safe here.

A word on the employees of PVR LuLu

This is one of the most highly qualified frontline staff I have seen anywhere. Usually people for this job are 12th pass. But in Kerala they are mostly graduates. My experience with them is very rich. They are very smart and they apply more brain than physically exert. I have learned a lot from them.

How is your experience so far in Kerala?

Fabulous! It’s been almost two and a half years since I’m in Kerala now. Collectively I’ve been with PVR for four years. There is been a break of four or five months in-between. I was in PVR Mumbai. I had to come to Kerala as my wife is a Malayali. My connection with Kerala had started back in 2003, when I first met my wife at college. We both were doing hotel management in Hyderabad. After getting married to her I became the son-in-law of Kerala. My father-in-law converted his ancestral home in Vaikom in to a homestay called Karithanam Ayurfarms. My wife and I being from the hotel management background and having the experience of working for Taj, we wanted to help him with the inception of the homestay and so I came to Kerala. We have been doing pretty well for the past two years. My wife, Preethy manages it and we are getting pretty good reviews. I had to leave PVR at that time as they didn’t provide sabbatical to the employees. But then when they started in Kochi, they called me up and asked me to join them back. And that’s how I ended back on setting PVR Lulu. Kerala is an amazing place. Vaikom is a very small and peaceful town. After my stint in America and many other places for work, I found peace in Vaikom like nowhere else. I love Kerala for its greenery and its exotic tourist locations.

Your native place and education background?

I’m from Mumbai and did my schooling there. After clearing the All India Entrance exam for hotel management institute I went to IHM, Hyderabad, which is also where I met Preethy. I have a daughter; three and a half years old who always wants to watch movies at PVR with a big bucket of popcorn. [Laughs]

Do you watch movies?

Yes! That is the very reason I am in this industry. I don’t know when my love for movies started. I have watched lots of movies. In my college days, it was very different from any other colleges. Being hotel management students we were allowed and expected to carry knives to college. That I felt was pretty interesting. Looking back everything I did was interesting and exciting. When I worked for Taj, which was also out of the normal, I got to meet the who’s who of the world. I still remember meeting Bryan Adams. So that was again exciting. It wasn’t like an office job. Then I worked for Carnival Cruise, where I was paid to see the world. So that was also really exhilarating. Moreover I always wanted to go around the world. It was even sweeter that I got to do that by getting paid for it. Then I joined PVR. Well… it is difficult to work when you have 47 shows a day and loads of food to eat. In my daily things to do I always write a movie to watch. So I watch movies because I love it and that I am supposed to. I am paid to watch a movie. Usually when you grow up your hobbies tend to dip. But for me movie watching is something I have always loved.

Any recent release that is a must watch in your opinion?

Avengers-Age of Ultron. I have been watching all the movies on the series. This one is good.