Tivoli Extreme (Lamba 70mm (Patny))

As you are reading this, the most notorious of all Hyderabad's theaters is planning a complete makeover. In fact, when our editor got to know of what was in store, he was crestfallen. After Lighthouse, with even Lamba gone now, where would he go every Friday night?

Believe it or not, the management is planning on spending about Rs. 7-8 crores on a complete revamp. A 4-screen multiplex along the lines of Prasad's is on the cards. This will be a total entertainment center, complete with a pub and a gaming alley. The capacity would be boosted to 1,200, all inclusive.

But all that is in the future. As of now, Lamba is pretty much Lamba. A huge hit with a sex-starved city in the pre-Internet pre-cable-TV '80s and '90s, when porn meant you had to hire a VCP and be gutsy enough to ask the rental store for, ahem, you know, this theater that several college students, youngsters and middle-class men used to hit every once in a while is now in a pretty sorry shape. Most of the seats are broken, and the sound system is worse than the one that the MCH uses when reminding you to "pay your bills in time to avoid disconnection".

Lamba was infamous for inserting hardcore porn clips into movies cleared by the censor board. We guess Hyderabad is more hi-tech now. Wait till the multiplex happens before you hit the place - until then, let history and memories stay.