Multiplex Cinemas and Urban Redevelopment in India

Abstract

The aim of this article is to introduce the phenomenon of the multiplex theatre as it is being played out within the complex urban geographies of metropolitan India. Since its inception a decade ago, the multiplex cinema in the subcontinent has become an intrinsic component of a new leisure infrastructure configured around the notion of a ‘consuming class’ keen to take its place amongst a ‘global middle class’. The dramatic growth in multiplex cinemas, projected to grow in numbers by 300 per cent over the next three years, has been greatly encouraged by urban planning and taxation policies designed to encourage new commercial and residential developments arising out of urban regeneration programmes and the growth of satellite conurbations. This article makes the case that, while the multiplex is an example of flagship architecture employed in the ‘globalisation ‘of the urban environment, the demand for such facilities is also a logical extension of the long-running contest over public spaces between different segments of the urban population in Indian cities.