Chanakya cinema brings World Cup to Patna

A cinema hall in Patna is playing an action thriller that could give Akshay Kumars and Sunil Shettys of Bollywood a run for their money. It is called 'World Cup, 2003.'

Going to Chanakya Picture Palace to watch a World Cup match makes sense for two reasons. One, as they say, size matters. Your 20'' TV just can't face up to the splendour of 70 mm. Second, even those piddly images may not be available on your TV screen thanks to frequent power cuts in Patna. So, why not spend some money and see the 'Kumbh' of Cricket unfold on the giant screen.

"We have switched to cricket to attract lovers of the game comprising both young and old and men and women," said Surendra Sharma, a manager at the cinema hall.

The Chanakya Picture Palace located on the Exhibition road was shut in 1996 following financial losses. "We  have reopened with a new  flavour...cricket will change our luck," Sharma said.

The district administration has cleared the cricket shows and Sharma said they were hoping to get permission to show movies by the month end.

All 41 matches would be shown live. The tickets would range from Rs 10 to 50.

The owners of the cinema hall have pledged a large part of the profits generated from these shows to the welfare of martyrs and war widows.