STARS TO ENDORSE
THEME RESTAURANT

The new restaurant to open at Linking Road, Bandra, Mumbai, in October ’98, proposes to take India, its culture, cuisine and cinema around the globe. Targetted at the upper middleclass and high-profile restaurant-goers and cinema buffs with “considerable spending power,” the theme restaurant has been promoted by Wizcraft, the event management company, which has a 70 per cent stake in the project and GS Entertainment, which has 30 per cent. A string of stars from all over India and abroad will also be part of the chain of restaurants which will be set up within a span of 5 years. The stars who have endorsed the project would be paid a percentage of the gross receipts, and their roles involve making frequent visits to the restaurant, signing autographs, participating in photo sessions with guests and patrons and endorsing its merchandise which includes T-shirts, caps, scarves and other accessories.

The panel of consultants for the project includes Nitin Desai, Hindi cinema’s innovative art director, Shakti Parmar, renowned architect and interior designer and Sanjiv Kapoor, executive chef of Juhu Centaur.

According to the promoters, “India Talkies is not just another theme restaurant but is a concept to pay tribute to Indian cinema, culture and cuisine. It is aimed at building a universal brand and institution through global franchising and promoting Indian stars and cinema all over the world.”

Chef Sanjiv Kapoor stressed that Indian food is the second most popular food in the world. “India Talkies will serve only Indian food in all its outlets. We plan to have favourite dishes of the stars on the menu too. We also plan to add a filmi flavour by naming the dishes Kabab—e-Khalnayak or Judwaa Biryani,” he said The approximate cost of the first leg of the project, at Mumbai, has been estimated at Rs 6 crore and the finances would be raised through joint ventures and institutional finance. Apart from five national franchises, ten international fanchises in the UK, USA, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Mauritius, Singapore, Lebanon, Sri Lanka and Bahrain are being planned as part of the chain of restaurants.

The promoters hope to generate a sum of Rs 40 crore from the Mumbai outlet in five years. They also hope the franchise royalties to generate about Rs 300 crore while the merchandising royalties would generate Rs 30 crore in 5 years.

First of its kind in India, India Talkies promises to be an interesting proposition for the film crazy Indians and their NRI counterparts. As the spokesperson of Wizcraft put it, “India Talkies is supposed to be a fun place where an upper middle class Hindi cine goer can eat and enjoy. Age no Bar!”