Bangalore, 'Crossed Roads' and BayLeaf ...

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PVR (Personal Video Recorder) is one of the largest chains of movie theatres here in India. And PVR Bangalore particularly notable in that, on any given day you are bound to see hoards of people queuing up to watch movies here. Another movie theatre that is comparable in infrastructure and repute is INOX in Garuda mall. However, PVR is by far the preferred one, perhaps because of the affordability factor. There are others as well, such as Symphony and Rex on MG Road. However, head to The Forum Mall to catch a glimpse of the 'in' crowd.

I beat the 5 p.m. Hosur road traffic to reach home just in time to shower, change and flag an auto to The Forum. I had planned to head to Landmark to purchase a yoga mat, however, we had no time to spare before the movie began. Although they've just recently set up kiosks where you can purchase movie tickets electronically, we were unable to get the seats we wanted and so decided to wait it out in line.

We discovered that the best seats in the house were ours for the asking, what with only a handful of people in the theater. I guess Bangalore doesn't have a big audience for foreign films. I think the last foreign film that played in PVR Bangalore was 'The Lives of Others'. (I watched it in Ipswich before it was released here in Bangalore and gave glowing reviews to one and all.) 'Crossed Roads' is worth a watch, perhaps even two! The story moves slowly and steadily and intertwines the viewers with the story very artfully. It's the story of a ghost writer who is on his way to meet the writer who publishes his books under her name. Around the same time a paedophile rapist has escaped from prison and initially it is implied that the ghost writer is this escaped convict. The tension in the film as we watch him supposedly preying upon a young woman and then her daughter is palpable and it comes as a surprise to viewers that he is infact just a ghost writer. He goes on to meet the author he writes for and expresses his desire to publish the new book under his own name and later learns that the writer plans to do away with him once the last chapter is finished. After this follows a saga of deceit and betrayal that is spell binding. Not once did I feel bored during the entire 103 minutes of the movie.

After the movie my friend and I decided to go for dinner. Having decided to have a light dinner (thanks to the perennial diet), I skimmed the menu for attractive salads and other low-fat preparations. However, 'Crossed Roads' made me and crave wine (because all the characters were drinking red wine all the time during the film). I suggested we order the fish platter and a bottle of wine. If you're a light eater you can combine the fish platter with something to drink and follow it up with dessert. That is what we did and it was an excellent idea. The fish platter had an assortment of fish, all of which was cooked very well. It was a little spicy but we had 'Howling Wolf Cabernet Sauvignon' to help us cope with the onslaught of spice. (Although the wine tasted very good, it was useless in combating the spice. Water did the trick.) Good food, good wine and a good friend all equals a great time and that is what we had at BayLeaf today. The restaurant is calm and comfortable, although I would say that the waiters could do a little more in terms of courtesy and attention paid to the customers. Also, BayLeaf is known for its desserts and we ordered Chocolate Brownies with Vanilla Ice Cream. I'm not a huge fan of desserts, and I'd had this already so I didn't appreciate this in terms of taste nor novelty. However, for dessert lovers, this is worth having. I've heard good things about it's lunch buffet as well, so if you're in or around The Forum and want some good lunch (and don't mind the expense), head to BayLeaf. And if you end up doing this, let me know how it is!

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Comments

[anonymous]

PVR -Priya Village Roadshow -- Priya was a standalone cinema hall in Delhi which had a tie up with Village Roadshow, Australia and launched India's first multiplex PVR , Saket and later expanded allover Delhi and now rest of India.