Abhilasha Ojha checks out Lalit Khaitan's home theatre room and comes away floored by the sheer luxury of the space.
When Lalit Khaitan wanted a “special” place for himself and his family, he wondered what would work for them. There was the dining area where the family— he, son Abhishek, daughter-in-law Deepshikha and grandchildren — gathered, but the CEO of Radico Khaitan was looking for something out of the ordinary, a little informal and fun.
That’s when Khaitan decided to create a home theatre room, complete with six recliner chairs, state-of-the-art sound system and other equipment, mood lighting... the works.
“I created a family space, a place to get together, watch films, chat and laugh together,” explains Khaitan, as we walk through the entrance where a beautiful jade Ganesha statue greets us (“we picked it up from an artist in Orissa”), flanked by two ivory stands on either side (“one depicts Ramlila and the other Krishnalila”).
We enter Khaitan’s plush and tastefully done-up living room overlooking a beautiful stretch of green; a Lalique creation sits pretty on a coffee table while our eyes wander to other elements in the room, like the family photographs, that lend it a cosy feel.
“Every inch of space has been designed by us, every decorative element is exclusive and personally handpicked by me and my late wife,” says Khaitan, who is now busy designing a kitchen garden for his grandson.
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As we make our way to the home theatre room, Khaitan tells us why a “fun space for families” is imperative in today’s times.
“I love watching Hindi films but I don’t always go to the multiplexes. But having said that, I do feel like enjoying a Hindi film with my family (or on my own) in a similar ambience. If nothing else,” he says, opening the door of the room, “I just like to curl up with a blanket, drink a glass of wine at the end of a long day and either watch TV or just read a book.”
The room, I gasp delightfully to see, is actually a mini theatre — quite like a regular multiplex, only very exclusive.
For anyone who loves movies, Khaitan’s home theatre room is a charming space, a wonderful and well-thought out addition where comfort and TV/movie viewing experience is taken to a different level altogether.
As I sink into one of the very comfortable leather recliners, I concede that it’s the most comfortable assignment that I’ve had. After all, the recliner doubles up as a massage chair and there is nothing more wonderful than having a back and neck massage while jotting down notes. The lighting is controlled too, with spotlight or dim light options.
My personal favourite turns out to be the star lighting, tiny little lights twinkling like stars while we sit in the temperature-controlled room where stacks of DVDs lie in front. I’m afraid of dozing off, especially when Big B starts to hum a lullaby (I’d refrain from calling it a love ballad) to his onscreen wife in Baghban.
Thankfully, Khaitan mutes the audio which, by the way, is surround sound, a Dolby experience, that’s a replica of what one usually experiences in multiplexes.
The experience, agrees Maanoj Hora, founder of Sound n Style, a specialist in creating home theatre rooms and who created Khaitan’s unique theatre space, is the same as a multiplex because of the acoustics.
“There’s a huge difference between a home theatre ‘system’ and a home theatre ‘room’.” In his view, it’s not as simple as putting a home theatre system with a big sized screen and two side speakers.
“It’s much more complicated, it’s much more technical. In Khaitan’s home, for instance, we put the screen, we gave speakers which were hidden behind a frame (just like in multiplexes) yet were acoustically perfect,” he adds.
And even as individuals are spending close to Rs 50-70 lakh on home theatre equipment alone (“the cost of interiors complete with recliners, popcorn machines, coffee vending machines, et cetera are separate,” says Hora), Khaitan’s home theatre room is all set to get upgraded.
This time around, there’ll be more space devoted to Khaitan’s home theatre room, a popcorn machine, the latest “horn-loaded” speakers to throw acoustics at ear level to all members of the audience, and a brand new “video server”, a technology by which a minimum of 900 DVDs can be saved and viewed at the same time.
“It’ll be the next technology in movie-watching that will come to the Khaitan household,” says Hora, adding, “We’ll bring the theatre into their home once again.”
That’s tempting.
