For city, the show stops here

For city, the show stops here
Bengaluru


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It is all business and very little play for Bengalureans, as a deadline of 8.30 pm for the last show restricts many working professionals from unwinding, report Sanchita Sen and Ambarish B.

: Ben galuru, with its IT professionals, corporate honchos and a huge number of expatriates, who work long hours, is well on its way to becoming a city where its all business and very little play.
While Bengalureans may now be able to stay on in restaurants a little longer thanks to relaxing of rules, many will now have to say goodbye to what is a favourite pastime — unwinding after work by watching a movie in a theatre nearby.

Not all Bengalureans, particularly its working professionals can hope to catch the 8.30 pm show, which will now be the last one of the day.

“The city has a huge number of techies and around 10,400 expatriates for whom life really starts late in the evening because they wrap up work only by around 7.30-8pm. Once home they do like to unwind by watching a good movie in a theatre nearby. But now this option has been slammed shut in their face,” says brand domain specialist, Harish Bijoor, who thinks its unreasonable to curb what is the most decent and popular form of entertainment in the city.

Bengaluru, which is home to one-third of the 33,000 expatriates in the country, is fast losing its international ambience due to such rules and regulations, he warns, echoing the sentiments of many others, who reason that a night out in a theatre is good clean fun, which harms no one.

To fashion guru Prasad Bidappa the new show timings are another symptom of the regressive thinking of the powers that be.

“I have stopped talk ing about Bengalu being a progressive modern city because of these regressive policies which are being thrust on the people one after the other. Such directives only go on to show that the city is being ruled by regressive thinkers and the people have no say in how they should live,” he says, agreeing that the city’s image is taking a severe beating due to the senseless curbs on its night life.

He doesn’t think the 11pm deadline set for theatres can prevent crime in the city.

“The police should try doing their job instead of curbing people’s recreational avenues,” he maintains.

Swimming champion Nisha Millet feels the city is beginning to get claustrophobic due to the many dos and don’ts being thrust down people’s throats.

“While pushing the deadlines for eateries is a good move, the 8.30 pm night show is definitely not going to help working professionals who get home only by around 9 or 9.30pm. The city is getting too restrictive,” she says.

It is sad, say people, that while the city is going global in many ways, its lifestyle is falling far short of matching it .