The IMAX Experience

Today, I spent yet another Sunday afternoon shopping. I was looking for a saree, but didn’t find any material I fell in love with. So, instead I finally bought a churidar and dupatta. It’s a set of loose drawstring pants, a long tunic top, and a scarf that you drape like a shawl over your chest and let the long parts hang down your back. It’s really comfortable, and even though the one I bought is fairly casual, I’m sure I can get away with wearing it to the office here. I plan on buying more, it’s just a matter of finding the right ones. Department stores here have smaller selections that I would expect, so shopping is not as simple as just walking into a Macy’s.

This evening, a group of five of us went to the IMAX Dome theater to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. This was exciting for a few reasons: the movie was actually filmed on 70mm film for IMAX, so it’s not just a regular movie on the IMAX screen; also, the IMAX Dome theater in Mumbai is the largest in the world, apparently. It’s almost like watching a movie on a planetarium screen; and, it’s the first movie I’ve seen in a theater in India, although it’s not a Hindi film. That’s still on my to do list.

Before the movie starts, everyone stands up and they play a portion of the Indian national anthem. My Indian coworkers say that the rest of India doesn’t do this, but either way, I found it amusing – particularly when everyone is there to watch an American film. The movie itself was actually disappointing. I think the original was better, and Johnny Depp’s rendition of Willy Wonka was just, rather, bizarre. Oh yeah, one more reason to love the experience. Each ticket only cost 200 rupees. That’s less than $5. I *think* I remember paying under $5 for a matinee film once, when I was like 10.

If my postings are a bit scarce over the next few days, it’s because I have a deliverable deadline on Tuesday. I’ll be sleeping, eating, working—repeat. Next weekend I go to Goa though, and then the following weekend I come home for a week. I can’t believe it. I finally get to come home! The countdown begins…