Ekal Hubs: Bringing Big Screen Magic to Villages

Riteish Deshmukh has lauded the EKAL Hub initiative, calling it a potential game-changer for rural Maharashtra by ensuring entertainment is accessible and affordable. Deshmukh stressed that entertainment is a fundamental need, not a luxury, and rural populations deserve quality cinematic experiences. He highlighted that the immersive big-screen experience in a theatre is unique and cannot be replicated by internet or OTT platforms. The Ekal Hubs are designed to bring this experience closer to rural audiences affordably.

The initiative also aims to support education, digital literacy, and skill development through screenings and training content. The concept for Ekal Hubs originated from discussions between Riteish Deshmukh and Atul Shirodkar, inspired by the late Vilasrao Deshmukh. Although the project faced delays during the Covid pandemic, early experiments with inflatable screens and tent cinemas informed the development of the permanent Ekal Hub theatre model.