The facade of Roxy cinema, a well-known landmark in the city slated to up its glamour quotient. A Telegraph file picture

Lounge around before you catch the latest flick in town or let your hair down after traversing the length and breadth of New Market. An ?affordable? lounge could soon be a reality outside the party places of Park Street, Camac Street and Theatre Road.

On the Rox, the second-floor bar in Roxy cinema next to Peerless Inn, at 4B Chowringhee Place, is going to add to the city’s lengthening lounge list very soon. Part of the first-floor lobby, that already has a small bar, would be demolished and converted into a lounge.

But why a lounge in the bustle of the bazaar zone? ?Earlier, watching a movie was planned many days in advance; it was a family affair. In this age of multiplexes, standalone cinema halls have suffered a major setback. Watching a movie is only a peripheral activity and the excitement is lost,? says Sunit Singh, spokesperson, Roxy cinema.

So, unless the standalone cinemas can add to the excitement quotient, with a variety of activities under one roof, there is little hope of drawing the crowds, especially the youth.

The other reason is to provide movie-goers with a chill-out option before or after the show. ?There are many young couples who come in early for a show. They will now have a place to enjoy themselves before they go in,? says Sunit.

The lounge bar, On the Rox, will come up over an area of 1,200 sq ft, and is positioning itself as the value-for-money option. ?The popular lounge bars are very expensive. A middle-class person cannot afford to frequent them. Our objective would be to give an affordable option to Calcuttans,? claims Sunit.

Unlike the other lounge bars in the city, this one will open its doors from afternoon. ?The bottom line is to increase ticket sales and so the lounge will be open from the first show till the last show,? stresses Sunit.

The target audience would be the young cinema-goer and the Lindsay Street shopper. And for every movie ticket bought, there would be special discounts on food and beverages.

The lounge would be split into two zones. The round lobby would be reserved for couples, celebrities and VIPs. A portion will be reserved for single men.

?We will be using a lot of psychedelic lights. There would be sofas, lots of sling chairs and couches. There would also be a dance floor and a disc jockey,? promises Sunit.

But those waiting to shake a leg would have to wait a while till the owners get permission for the dance floor and DJ music from the authorities.

The munch menu will consist of a lot of Chinese snacks and Indian kebabs. Exotic cocktails and mocktails will be stirred up behind the bar.

?We would be very interested in value-added services like fashion shows and celebrity evenings,? says Asis Sen, one of the partners in the venture.

On the Rox will be open by the first week of June.