“I believe I inherited a passion for movies (or like we call it at home, "pictures") from Dadaji, my paternal grandfather. Dadaji built the first mirror screen cinema hall in India, called Ashish Theatre. I have fond memories of selling tickets through my father's office window to eager Bollywood lovers standing in long lines for 45 rupees. The shows had fixed timings of 12pm, 3pm, 6pm and 9pm. My father loved watching a film on the Friday afternoon of its release. He’d wait for my brother and me to return from school, and then we’d go to Ashish and watch film after film from our permanent front row balcony seats. 

Lido is yet another of my grandfather’s marvels. In its time in the 70’s, it was a popular celebrity hotspot, magnificent in its showcase of hit films. Lido is located at the heart of star-studded Juhu. I am humbled to have had the opportunity to conduct the primary and secondary research and strategy required for the branding of Lido Cinema’s relaunch in 2024. The branding was done by my close friend Noopur Kabra, who brought out the charm of a legacy cinema with her mastery in luxury branding.”

Mehak Gupta