It’s raining festivities after a lull of more than two years. Over the period, modes of entertainment for people have been remodelled. The movie theatre meant to watch only cinema has broken the cliché and reinvented itself to stage live shows for the audience that involves audience engagement.
Half Ticket musical extravaganza opened its curtains on September 17, over weekly shows at PVR City Centre multiplex, breaking the stereotype of one-way entertainment. It’s a treat for music lovers of all age groups, especially Kishore Kumar fans with a streak of romance thumping their hearts. “The public desires something more than just being a mute spectator; they are happier participating and being a part of the story itself,” says Karan Achhipilya and the director of the show Half Ticket, who brings with him a rich experience of an actor, director, dance Guru, trained choreographer with hands-on knowledge of music. For the shy, yet crisp actor & director Karan, the concept of the Kishore Kumar musical is not new. He was an integral part of the musical comedy crew that received great appreciation in the past when staged at another venue some years back.
Treat to ears & eyes
A treat for music & theatre lovers, Half Ticket brings a robust capsule of entertainment for the audience. Kishore Kumar’s live musical extravaganza brings the memories of the character Bhola back from the past. It’s a must-watch scintillating performance of the entire crew headed and directed by Karan. And one cannot help falling in love with Bhola.
The show takes inspiration from a similar performance in the past but is re-created, keeping the broader audience in mind. Half Ticket keeps the public glued to its chairs- it’s fun, laughter, joys, and romance sprinkled with life lessons, finely packaged to give a new flavour to cinemagoers.
Geetika Batra, marketing chief of the show, shared, “It was not a cakewalk for us to approach and convince PVR to collaborate to stage the shows. As a team, we are delighted at the response and enthusiasm the people of Gurugram have shown. Apart from making it all a commercial venture, we are keeping some seats for the underprivileged section for every show. Even in the first screening of the show, seats were reserved for Shikhar Dhawan Foundation & Neev, NGO. It’s about time that we give back to society as well,” she says with a smile of satisfaction. In the future, the production company is also determined to keep seats allotted for those who do not have access to good entertainment.
Diwali bonanza
As people are gearing up for the festive season, so is the show ready with some twists and more entertainment. “That’s the advantage of live performances; on the one hand, there is a lot of pressure because an error on the stage is live. The brighter side is that there always remains scope for improvement, tweaking according to the place and environment. One gets a kick as actors to see the audience’s involvement with the show, all reaching in real time; no reels,” adds Karan.
The entire crew are trained dancers, and some actors are doubling their roles. During the first show screening, the team and production had to face something unexpected: the lead actor who was supposed to play Bhola in the show met with an accident and fractured his hand. “So quickly we had to get another senior actor to replace Bhola,” shared Karan.
Vineeta Jerath Grover, co-founder & editor of Suburb, the media and communication partner to the show, is very upbeat about the concept, “it’s an enjoyable change to see a live show in a cinema hall and get enraptured. The show brings exhilarating moments for music lovers to dance, sing and be a part of the show; it’s a connection that one feels with the characters. All in all, it’s a captivating formula.”
As a special Diwali offer, group booking gets discounts, and F&B is served at the venue. Ticket bookings open at the PVR booking site.
