ntertainment is a big business and "consolidated entertainment centres" - with movie theatres, restaurants, shopping arcades, video parlours and book shops all under one roof - are the latest buzzword. Subhash Chandra�s Essel Group, which runs Water Kingdom and Esselworld in the outskirts of Mumbai, wants a bigger share of the pie. And it is eyeing the smaller markets in India.

After three years and three properties in Ahmedabad, Chandigarh and Mumbai, Essel Group�s E-City, the company that owns Fun Republic, plans to set up 12 family multiplexes across 10 cities by 2005. The total investment will be around Rs 350 crore. These entertainment malls will house four to seven cinema screens, food courts and departmental stores. ... more