Ajay Bijli is the owner of PVR Cinemas and a Samsung partner. One of his theatres in Delhi was the first to install the Samsung Onyx Cinema LED screen that is transforming the cinema viewing experience for cine lovers, replacing traditional projector-based screens with LED screens.

These days, most of us are working from home, but as they say, the show must go on. And our SmartTVs be our companion!

We asked Ajay which of his favourite movies he would recommend for our readers and consumers to watch while at home.

Here’s what he told Samsung Newsroom.

I’m in the movie business because I love movies. It’s as simple as that!

So, without being too intellectual about it, I’m going to list some of my favourite films with a brief description about why I like them.

‘The Godfather’; there’s a reason why this movie has been rated as one of the greatest and most influential of all time. The direction by Francis Ford Coppola, the superlative acting by Marlon Brando, the seven Academy Award nominations and the three wins, the sheer breadth and scope of the story of a gangster family and the nobility, for want of another word, buried deep in the Mafia ideology makes the movie an all-time great. A sequel (and parts prequel), ‘The Godfather Part II’ was, some might say, even better! It was nominated for eleven Oscars and went on to win six including the first for Best Picture for a sequel.

What can one say about ‘Sholay’ except to admire the sheer genius of a film that is so extraordinary that it’s become part of India’s cultural parlance in a way. The fabulous dialogues right from Basanti’s (Hema Malini) non-stop banter, to dacoit Gabbar Singh’s (Amjad Khan), eternal question, “Kitne admi the?”, has inspired generations of writers, actors and the public. A superlative script about friendship love and enmity, it bought a stellar cast to the screen. A superb viewing experience. In a similar vein I love ,’The Gladiator,’ and ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ – the former an epic about a lonely gladiator played by a somber Russel Crowe, and the latter, a fact-based movie about two Wild West outlaws in the 1880’s. Both captivatingly engrossing movies.

Also Read: Samsung and PVR Launch India’s First Onyx Cinema LED Theatre

I also have great admiration for theatrical masterpieces like ‘Avatar’, ‘The Ten Commandments’, ‘Inception’, ‘Dunkirk’ and the sheer fun of ‘Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark.’

Finally, kicking back for unadulterated fun, I watch the bumbling foibles of Peter Sellars in ‘The Pink Panther’, Dharmendra and Sharmila Tagore driving Om Prakash to distraction in ‘Chupke Chupke’, the madness of Salman and Aamir in ‘Andaaz Apna Apna,’ and the hysterical ‘Dirty Rotten Scoundrels’ with a suave Michael Caine and a rigorously unrefined Steve Martin playing two con men on the decadent French Riviera.

I hope you enjoy these films as much as I have!

Mr. HC Hong, President and CEO, Samsung Southwest Asia (Third from Left), Actors Rajkumar Rao and Shraddha Kapoor (Centre) and Mr. Sanjeev Bijli, Joint Managing Director, PVR Ltd. (Second from Right) along with other dignitaries at the launch of Samsung Onyx Cinema LED Screen in New Delhi

Film projectors have been the medium of cinema display for over 120 years now. This next-generation innovation is all set to end this old method and will change the way we watch movies at a Cinema Hall and will mark a new chapter in the history of cinema viewing technology. The screen will now be playing shows at PVR Icon, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi.

The unveiling of PVR Onyx Cinema LED screen was conducted in the presence of Mr. HC Hong, President and CEO, Samsung Southwest Asia and Mr. Sanjeev Bijli, Joint Managing Director, PVR Ltd.

“India is a film loving country. Our movies are full of vibrant colours and rich music. Onyx Cinema LED will be the true solution for such content and we believe this technology will be a ‘Blockbuster’ in the film industry. It is going to revolutionize the movie viewing experience of the movie lovers,” said Mr. Puneet Sethi, Vice President, Consumer Electronics Enterprise Business, Samsung India.

“This screen is one of first few screens launched worldwide by Samsung and we are thrilled to partner with one of India’s biggest film entertainment company, PVR Cinemas to bring in this game changing technology for the movie lovers,” he added.

“Samsung has always been at the forefront of meaningful innovations and we are delighted to launch Onyx LED Cinema screens in India. The screen is now up and running at PVR Icon, Vasant Kunj. We are the first Cinema exhibition chain in the country, to introduce this disruptive theatre technology for Indian movie-goers,” said Mr. Sanjeev Kumar Bijli, Joint Managing Director, PVR Limited.

“We are committed to deliver world class standards of cinematic experience to our patrons and this association is another step in this direction,” he added.

Over the past few years, movie theatres have been seeing a huge spurt in numbers. Advanced theatre technology is on a growth gradient. With increasing interest in the technology among movie experts and enthusiasts, Samsung launched the innovative Onyx Cinema LED, a move away from the projection systems that were existing hitherto. The Onyx Cinema LED has the potential to deliver unparalleled picture quality, bringing content to life with greater vibrancy and accuracy.

It comes with an array of solutions including the Onyx VIEW, Onyx 3D and Onyx SOUND, providing a uniquely immersive experience. This comprehensive screen and sound solution for movie theatres is poised to revolutionise cinematic experience for every movie enthusiast, whether you are a movie buff, a sports fan, or a fence sitter.

About Onyx Cinema LED

The Onyx display easily accommodates any venue configuration while delivering unmatched visual quality, technical performance and reliability over traditional projectors. The screen maintains its advanced presentation capabilities in ambient lighting conditions, regardless of the featured on-screen content. It also accommodates users who wish to utilize their theatres for corporate events, concert and sports event viewing, and gaming competitions.

The screen also offers state-of-the-art Onyx surround sound experience from JBL by Harman International and Samsung’s Audio Lab, bringing scenes to life through’ clear and precise audio. This integration eliminates rearward bias by expanding the audio “sweet spot”, while ensuring that all attendees can enjoy the same experience regardless of seat location, within the theatre.

Onyx VIEW, combined with an infinite contrast ratio and specialized low-tone greyscale settings delivers brighter and more detail-rich content. The screen delivers High Dynamic Range (HDR) to the cinema, showcasing on-screen contents at peak brightness level – nearly 10 times greater than that offered by standard cinema projectors (146fL versus 14fL). The display delivers improved uniformity, free of optical distortion and interference. It is industry’s first DCI-certified cinema display available in variations extending between 5, 10 and 14 metres in width.

The 3D Onyx Cinema LED screen makes 3D movie content more realistic through enhanced brightness and consistent colour amplification. Glass-wearing viewers can now have the benefit of watching subtitle texts, images and even minor visual details with unprecedented clarity, sans the dark, blurry shadowing and potential dizziness that can occur in traditional 3D movie theatres.

Samsung and PVR will extend this partnership and come up with more theatres equipped with Onyx Cinema LED screens in the recent future.