Saraidhela residents check out the new multiplex in Dhanbad on the inaugural day. Picture by Gautam Dey

Dhanbad, Oct. 2: Movie buffs in the coal capital have reason to celebrate more this Puja. Besides hopping pandals and catching up with family and friends, they will now watch the latest blockbusters in the lap of luxury.

A four-screen multiplex, inaugurated on the Saraidhela-Dhanbad national highway today, promised to give entertainment new dimensions. The inaugural day saw the screening of four movies — Rock On!!, Kidnap, 1920 and Drona.

Till now, Ranchi played host to a lone multiplex in the state. The two-screen Eylex was thrown open last September. It has only 162 seats each in two auditoriums.

However, the four-screen multiplex of Fame in Dhanbad will boast 996 luxurious seats in plush auditoriums.

The first and the fourth screen of the multiplex have 244 seats each, while the third has a seating capacity of 241. The second has 267 seats.

On why Dhanbad was preferred to Patna or Jamshedpur for setting up the mutliplex, managing director of Fame Shravan Shroff said: “Those cities have other sources of entertainment, but Dhanbad lacks a place where one can go along with family members for fun.”

Shroff hoped that visitors would have a great experience while watching movies at the multiplex, thanks also to a spread of local and international fare that was not found under one roof in the city earlier.

The multiplex will soon include a games parlour, which is currently under construction.

The rate of tickets, Shroff said, was reasonable — between Rs 50 and Rs 100. It should enable people from all sections of the society to avail of the facilities available at the multiplex. He also promised to strive for better standards as and when required.

With Durga Puja round the corner, the new entertainment zone is sure to be an instant hit with one segment of the target audience — students.

Four college students, including two girls, of Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, were excited about the “multi-utilities” of the multiplex.

“The coal capital finally has a roof under which lovers can sit peacefully for three hours without being disturbed by hooligans and avoid the prying eyes of nosy neighbours,” said one of them.