A multiplex-cum-shopping mall under construction in Ranchi. Picture by Hardeep Singh

Ranchi, Jan. 28: Finally, the mall-multiplex mania has gripped the city, too.

Lagging far behind for too long when it came to boasting sprawling multiplexes and swanky malls, the state capital is finally ready to catch up with other cities with the unveiling of its first multiplex-cum-shopping mall in December this year.

The mega project, Uphaar multiplex-cum-shopping mall, is coming up on Ratu Road at an estimated cost of Rs 5 crore. A local company, Centaurus Estate Pvt Ltd, and Mumbai-based architecture Sanjay Poorie, who has designed the state’s first multiplex, Eylex, and hotels such as Green Horizon, have joined hands for this project.

Spread over an area of 100,000sqft, the facilities will come up in a five-storey building.

While the mall will house 65 international brands, the multiplex will initially begin with two screens, having 250 seats each, on the third and fourth floors. The ticket prices have not been fixed yet, but the authorities assured that the rates would not be too high.

The basement will have parking facilities for 100 cars. Besides, there will be food courts, fast food joints such as Pizza Hut and McDonald’s, restaurants, entertainment centre, escalators, high-speed lift and a lobby. A gaming zone is also on the offing.

So far, the residents of the state capital had to remain content with only one multiplex. But Eylex, located at Hinoo, does not have food courts. The parking area is also small.

Similarly, the city lacked a mega mall having several brands under a single roof. In such a scenario, Uphaar is expected to change the entire shopping and movie-watching experience in the city.

“We plan to gift the residents the multiplex-cum-shopping complex by December-end. It’s high time that the city tasted a slice of luxurious shopping. The place will serve as an ideal hangout zone for families,” said Pradeep Modi, one of the developers of the project.

“The ground, first and second floors will house the shopping area while the third, fourth and fifth floors will be dedicated to food joints and restaurants,” Modi added.

The construction of the building, which began last year, has been completed till the third floor.

The state capital’s tryst with multiplex does not end here. Another multiplex is slated to come up in the place of the oldest cinema, Sandhya. “We have been suffering huge losses as the footfall has declined over the years. It is difficult for us to pay entertainment tax. So, we decided to convert the standalone theatre into a multiplex to stem further losses,” said Dinesh Singh, the owner of Sandhya.

In the past two years, many halls such as Vishnu Talkies, Uphaar and Ratan Talkies were closed down because of low turnout.