Indian Theaters

I had some extra time after work today to run down to the local theater to catch a movie. They're playing Mission Impossible 3 and so I had to check it out. After about a 45 minute drive through the thick of Mumbai's traffic, I arrived at the Fame Adlabs theater. They charge different prices for seats in the theater, so I asked for their nicest seats, which cost me 180 Rupees (about $3.80). These "expensive" seats were only on the very back row of the stadium style theater and the seats were very nice and very comfortable as you can see in the picture. (There were probably about 15 of these seats on the back row) They even give you these cool satin pillows and blankets. The theater was air conditioned, but not cold enough for a blanket. The movie was in English and there were no previews at the beginning. What was strange though was that just before the movie started, everyone in the theater stood and sang the National Anthem of India. I respectfully stood until the song was over (I was the only non-Indian in the whole theater and people definitely noticed that and watched to see what I would do. Luckily I was sitting on the very back row). I was really getting into the show when suddenly after an hour, the house lights came on and the "Intermission" sign displayed on the screen. Everyone left the theater for food and the restroom, which I actually was glad for. That's when they ran all the previews. Kind of backwards from the U.S. but I guess it works. For those who haven't seen the show, it really is action packed from the very beginning. I really liked it. Highly recommended.