Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's a balloon theatre bringing the cinema experience to rural India

When a bright yellow inflatable structure appeared in the heart of Leh, a remote Himalayan town 3,505 metres above sea level, Jigmet Angchok initially mistook it for a bouncy castle.

But when he stepped inside the "balloon theatre" he found a fully-fledged cinema equipped with Dolby digital sound, plush pushback seats and stunning picture quality.

The radio DJ, 32, was inside the world’s highest-altitude cinema and couldn’t contain his excitement. “I was always curious about what it was like to watch a film on a big screen,” Angchok tells The National. “This wonderful theatre had appeared in front of my eyes, just like the ones in big cities.”

Cinema frenzy nation

India is a nation of movie buffs, with 2,000 different Hindi or Bollywood and regional productions shown in cinemas each year. But for millions, particularly in rural parts of the country, a night at the cinema has long been a distant and expensive dream.

Since 1913, when a film was shown on the big screen for the first time, cinemas have evolved from single screen theatres to multiplexes. But there are only 10,000 cinemas and 30,000 screens in a country that is home to 1.4 billion people. Most of them are in big cities or towns, according to research by the Producers Guild of India.

For movie buffs like Angchok, watching a film in a brick-and-mortar cineplex was, for a long time, a far-fetched dream. There was not a single cinema hall in Ladakh, an arid region in northern India which generally remains covered in five metres of snow for four months during winter, until Picture Time arrived in 2021 to install an inflatable cinema.

Its mobile movie theatres are designed to give an unparalleled experience to enthusiasts like Angchok.

“There used to be a cinema hall in town during my childhood, but it closed in the late 2000s,” Angchok says. “So I grew up watching films on CD players or screened at a community hall. I always longed to watch a film at a cinema on a big screen.”

About 1,500km from Leh, the capital of Ladakh, Tarun Soni had a similar experience. The cinephile had to travel 150km from his small town of Nagaur to a nearby city like Jodhpur in the desert region of Rajasthan, a journey of three hours each way, to watch a film on a big screen.

All that changed for Soni when the inflatable cinema arrived. “Initially we were apprehensive,” says the school principal, 30. “This is a windy place and we were worried that the structure would be blown away. But once inside, we din’t feel any difference. One time we were watching a film and it was raining heavily, but we did not feel a thing. The picture and sound quality is excellent.

“It is a small town and we had never had a theatrical experience before. Since this concept was introduce, people have been excited about films, especially families, because they now have a place to go for an outing.”

Cinema in small towns

Picture Time is the brainchild of Delhi-based entrepreneur Sushil Chaudhary, who strongly believes watching films in a cinema is “not just entertainment but a fundamental part of life”.

Chaudhary, 50, came up with the idea of bringing the big screen experience to small towns.

“Multiplex cinemas are in malls, but there is a shortage around the country,” he explains. “I wanted something that would be more accessible and thought a portable cinema could solve the problem.”

After years of research, Picture Time opened an experimental inflatable cinema in Chhattisgarh in 2019. It was a huge success, encouraging Chaudhary to replicate his idea across India. He has since set up more than 27 cinemas, from Ladakh to Bommidi in Tamil Nadu in southern India.

His inflatable theatres have 120 to 180 seats and can be set up to stand on any ground for 15 years. That idea came to him when he was at a birthday party which had a bouncy castle.

“We were designing at the time,” Chaudhary recalls. “My aim was to create an air-conditioned cinema that was easy to erect and portable.”

His inflatable cinema has proper acoustics and is fire-resistant. Balanced air circulation ensures it can withstand high temperatures.

Streaming challenge

Streaming is all the rage these days, but a 2023 study by online platform BookMyShow found that 98 per cent of Indians still believe in the magic of cinema.

India has 547.3 million users on streaming platforms but only 100 million paid subscribers, according to research by media consulting firm Ormax Media. Cinema's popularity endures.

“When we release a big film, 300 to 400 people turn up every day,” says Stenzin Tankyong, an entrepreneur who owns a Picture Time franchise in Ladakh.

The big screen and audio experience are only part of the attraction. Angchok points out that cinemas give audiences a chance to enjoy a film with friends over a large tub of popcorn.

“Cinemas have charm,” he says. “They are the complete package. People enjoy watching films on big screens with popcorn and this experience is not available at home.”