This was my first time in Hyderabad. The Telangana capital has been majorly wrapped in legend, scented with spices that linger in the air, and an unmistakable rhythm to its mythic culinary stature. Believe me, I could go on forever singing the praises of the city’s most indispensable export — that glorious meat-and-rice masterpiece that I’m proud to admit the North just can’t quite get right. But right now, there’s something just as essential to the Hyderabadi spirit that’s calling my attention — cinema.
This year, the Red Lorry Film Festival, typically synonymous with Mumbai’s bustling cinephile scene, expanded its horizons, planting its flag in Hyderabad for the first time. And where better to host a parallel celebration of cinema than at the iconic Prasads? The legendary multiplex is a monument to Hyderabad’s love affair with film, where celluloid dreams have flickered for over two decades.
Once home to the world’s largest IMAX 3D screen (surpassed only by the behemoth of a screen in Sydney), it has been a cornerstone of South cinema since its opening in 2003. It was here that Hyderabadis got their first taste of IMAX-scale spectacle, where Christopher Nolan’s Interstellarwas watched in all its 70mm glory, attracting cinephiles from across India. The L.V. Prasad Group’s multiplex has evolved over the years but remains an irreplaceable fixture in the city’s landscape. It’s so iconic that they literally named the street outside ‘IMAX Road’.
My journey to Prasads was an experience quite cinematic in itself. Staying in Banjara Hills nearby, I opted for a slow stroll instead of a rushed auto ride to get a taste of the little I could of life in Hyderabad. The city revealed itself in layers — a brutalist hulk of the BSNL Telephone Bhavan standing in stark contrast to the gleaming white pristine sprawl of the Secretariat across from an Anish Kapoor-like installation, a colossal diya-shaped Amaraveerula Stupam catching the golden twilight on its reflecting convex surface. Beyond, the road curved past the strange monochrome structures of the NTR Gardens, named for the legendary Telugu matinee idol-turned-chief minister, leading to the vast expanse of the beautiful Hussain Sagar Lake that caught the dying evening light just so. There, poised mid-water, stood the Buddha statue, while across the street, a towering bronze Dr. Ambedkar seemed to gesture toward it with almost poetic intention. By the time my legs began protesting, the unmistakable white arch of Prasads and its neon-blue letters gleamed in the distance, the glow matched only by the anticipation of the cinephiles gathered outside. A cute little red projection at the side confirmed what had drawn them all here — the Red Lorry Film Festival.
The view from outside Prasads Multiplex in Hyderabad
| Photo Credit:
Ayaan Paul Chowdhury
Now in its second edition, the festival made a splash with its dual-city expansion, splitting itself into ‘Take Two’ in Mumbai and ‘Parallel Verse’ in Hyderabad. With over 70 screenings at Prasads alone, the lineup boasted premieres from Cannes, Berlin, Venice, and Toronto.
Among the heavyweight international titles that lit up Prasads this weekend: Red Rooms, Universal Language, Anora, Emilia Perez, September 5, Queer, The Outrun, and Oddity, to name a few. But it’s the Legacy Rewind lineup that’s been pulling in the crowds — romantic classics like Pretty Woman and Notting Hill, Bollywood gems like Karz, Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, and Teesri Manzil, and the crown jewel of the lineup: an rare IMAX screening of David Fincher’s cult thriller, Se7en.
Having experienced the full spectrum of IMAX in Delhi —from the glorious screens at PVR Logix and PVR Priya to the underwhelming “Lie-Max” imposter at PVR Saket — I wasn’t sure what to expect as I stepped into the hallowed Screen 6. But stepping into the vast darkness of the theatre, I felt properly dwarfed by the gargantuan 60-feet tall, 100-foot expanse that just barely fit into the frame of my vision. Logix and Priya suddenly seemed like enthusiastic new kids on the block before this grand old titan.
As the lights dimmed and the first frames flickered, the screen engulfed me whole, but it wasn’t just the sheer size that made the Prasads IMAX experience legendary. The crowd too, responded in kind — a few appreciative hoots for Morgan Freeman, an eruption of cheers for Brad Pitt, a full-throated roar for Fincher’s name in the opening credits. It was a communal exhale of cinephilic joy, a shared act of devotion bound by sight, sound and collective exhilaration.
David Fincher’s ‘Se7en’ screens at the iconic Screen 6 at Prasads, as a part of the Red Lorry Film Festival in Hyderabad
| Photo Credit:
Ayaan Paul Chowdhury
And that, more than anything, is what makes Prasads sacred ground for Indian cinephiles. This wasn’t just about Fincher in Dolby Atmos. It’s about feeling it with everyone else in the room, surrendering to the grand, electric communion of cinema. And it’s this very energy that has long made Prasads a bucket-list experience for movie lovers across India.
So what else is in the box?
Weekends here feel like festivals in themselves. It was Hyderabad’s first taste of the mall culture that would later sweep across the city. While newer malls may boast flashier storefronts, nothing quite matches the nostalgia and charm of Prasads. Cinephiles linger long after their movies end, wandering through its maze of food courts, tackling rock-climbing walls, braving haunted-house attractions, or simply reliving old friendships forged over countless screenings. Unlike its newer counterparts, Prasads retains an affordability that feels almost quaint in today’s multiplex economy (popcorn at ₹150, are you kidding?).
This year, Prasads made headlines once more by welcoming the return of Interstellar — marking its second major re-release in India within months. The first round had already shattered expectations, pulling in ₹69 lakh from this theater alone. Now, thousands more were flocking in, eager for one more chance to witness Nolan’s epic on one of the biggest screens in the country. While PCX at Prasads no longer carries the IMAX branding, its upgraded laser projection and Dolby Atmos sound have ensured that it remains the gold standard for immersive movie-watching in India.
The view from outside Prasads Multiplex in Hyderabad
| Photo Credit:
Ayaan Paul Chowdhury
The magic of Prasads isn’t just in its technical wizardry that sends cinephiles into a state of near-religious ecstasy but in the legacy it carries. It was built with the kind of cathedral-like grandeur that could have Brady Corbet rushing in, VistaVision in hand — its dome a marvel by renowned architect Raja Aedri, the man behind Mumbai’s iconic ICICI building. Inside, every element seems tailored for one thing — the perfect cinematic experience. No garish distractions, no over-the-top embellishments. Just the glow of the screen and just enough neon lighting to help make your way to its cosy, embossed seats.’
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At a time when real estate constraints are shrinking multiplexes into bite-sized screens and the economics of cinema are increasingly dictated by the whims and fancy’s of streaming, Prasads stands tall and proud as a testament to what movie-watching once was, and still can be.
Published – March 23, 2025 07:17 pm IST
