BANGALORE: The Innovative Group, a pioneer in multiplex business in Karnataka, today unveiled the first phase of India’s first multi-million rupee fully integrated entertainment complex - Innovative Film City (IFC). The complex is spread over 54 acres of land. The first phase has cost Innovative a shade less than Rs 1 billion. The overall project would entail investments of about Rs 5 billion.

IFC chairman and MD Sarvana Prasad says, “Our vision when we started the work at IFC was to create a state-of-the-art studio for pan-India moviemakers and also provide a wholesome world-class family entertainment destination for the people at an affordable cost. The vision is finally taking shape and most of the projects in the first phase are almost completed, others are on the verge of completion.”

The first phase will be thrown open to the public in April this year, once the Main (or Retail) Street, a 90,000-square foot convention centre, Mirror Maze, Haunted House, Dinosaur World, Cartoon City, Aqua Kingdom, Velocity (go-carting), Mini Golf, Ripley’s Believe it or Not, Louis Tussaud’s Wax Works, Funplex, The Grub Hub, Miniature City, an Amphitheatre, a 4-D theatre are completed. All these will provide readymade, real and live settings for films that had to be shot abroad. IFC will be offered for film shoots by June 2008.

On the anvil are 21 screen multiplex (to be completed by December 2008), signature residences, a star hotel, service apartments, and 11 of the 21 screens for commercial cinema of all languages. The other ten screens will feature film festivals from across the world. Innovative has a three-year contract with Gary Goddard Entertainment for providing the films. Admission to the film festival is free, but on invitation only.

For the Main Street, which has around 300,000 square feet on both sides, IFC has brands such as Pantaloons, Nike, Café Coffee Day, etc. signing up for retail space. For the convention centre, IFC has signed on Orange County which has guaranteed at least 24 events per year. Auto major Audi has also signed on – Audi will display its products, latest models and launch all its new models for India at IFC.

For hospitality, IFC announced a joint venture with ETA Ascon Star Group (ETA) – one of the largest property development companies in the world. ETA plans to bring in one of its own brands for a star hotel – probably Hallmark Hotels if their tie-up with the Taj group does not happen. ETA also plans service apartments, signature villas and celebrity mansions – a replica of Kannada film industry doyen late Raj Kumar’s is one such mansion that will find a place here, with ETA in talks with prominent Bollywood and Tollywood film actors for other mansions.

IFC will be promoted by the government of Karnataka as a tourist destination. TVCs, print campaigns are also on the cards. It has tied with a tour and travel company to bring people in. Initially, Prasad is looking at an average of 10,000 to 12,000 visitors daily and plans to entertain about 6 million within a year.

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