We had been to Innovative film city this Sunday. This post is an account of our trip.
Firstly I really don't know how I came to know about this place. I think I got to know while searching in the internet for Wonderla, a theme park in Bangalore. I read a lot of good reviews at mouthshut about IFC. They also have a very good website which gives a full account of the place. Wonderla and IFC, both are located off Mysore road within 3 KMS of each other. I wanted to go either to Wonderla or IFC. Wonderla is an amusement park with lots of land and water rides. There is no concept of entrance fees here. You got to pay around Rs 700 per person and you get unlimted rides. There are separate charges for senior citizen and childern.(a bit lesser than Rs 700) We(me and husband) are not great lovers of rides so felt paying Rs 700 upfront is not worth it. On the other hand, IFC charges an entrance ticket of Rs 50 and then pay for the attractions that you want to visit. Unlike Wonderla, IFC is not exactly a theme park. There are so many different varieties of amusements and attractions, mirror maze, 4D movie experience, riplye's believe it or not, cartoon city to name a few....There were 6 of us, one among them being a senior citizen. There were also 2 kids(2 years old) and we mainly wanted to go to some place where the kids also can enjoy.. So IFC suited our bill the best..There is nothing in this place that is associated with films. Don't know the reason behind this name.
Location, Timings and Entrance ticketAttractions and Amusements IFC's website gives good information about all the attractions and amusements available, though cost details are not provided. I have given here a small review of the attractions that we visited along with the cost for each attraction.
We started from home at 8:45 AM. Took the NICE road to reach mysore road. Once you enter mysore road there are lot of boards providing distance and direction for Wonderla. Once wonderla passes by, direction for IFC starts. Its pretty easy to follow the directions and reach IFC which is in Bidadi Industrial area near Kirloskar factory. We reached IFC at around 9:40 AM. I read in their website that it opens at 7 AM and closes at 10 PM. What a big mistake they have done and what a big mistake we did by believing the timings. The film city actually opens at 10 AM and closes at 7 PM. We waited outside for 20 minutes. At 10 AM, after security check, we entered inside. We were not supposed to take eatables inside the city. So they checked that too. But thankfully, water bottle is allowed. As soon soon as you enter, an IFC representative takes you to a lounge to explain about the packages available. Seeing that there were 6 of us, she suggested the family package for Rs 5000. They would give 50 coupons and all the attractions except for roller coaster and carousel is included in the package. We need to give one coupon for each attraction per person. We felt, it might not work out economical for us for we would definitely not use up 50 coupons.(though there is a validity for 1 year for the coupons) So we politely declined the family package and the lady was kind enugh to show us the counter to get the entrance tickets. We got the entrance ticket for 6 of us(no ticket for 2 years old kids) plus Rs 100 for still camera. As you start walking, you will reach the main street. The main street is buillt in ancient roman architecture with lot of roman statues on both sides of the street. It was definitely nice, for they have tried to do something different.
Mirror Maze
I read in the reviews that mirror maze and 4D movie are the top most attractions. So we first went to mirror maze. Entrance ticket Rs 75 per person. Free for the 2 year olds, for that matter everthing is free for them. Mirror maze experience was amazing. You enter a room fulll of mirrors, find a way and come out at the exit. As soon as you enter you try to turn right and bang hit on a mirror. Fun starts from that point onwards. You keep walking trying to find out the way and always end up near the entrance. It was real fun.. We were roaming here and there for around 10 minutes, then with the help of an assistant, we came out through the exit suucessfully..It was a real fun filled experience for all of us.(Kids were also allowed inside.)
FunPlex-4D movie
Then we went to Funplex where 4D movie was shown. Entrance ticker Rs 100 per person. We enter a room like a mini movie theatre, an assstant gives us the special spectacles. We sit there expecting something special. We got more than what we expected. This is the best attraction in the whole of IFC. The 4D effect was just mind blowing. We felt nice when some cute little school of fish passed over our head, got scared when a big snake came in front of us and spit some water on our face, disgusted when a group of rats came running towards us and excited when he had a deep dive into the deep sea. The whole of 15 minutes for which the movie ran was enjoyable. You need to experience it to believe it. There were also video games in the FunPlex which we skipped.
Ripplye's Believe it or not and Roller Skates
After this each one of us had different attraction in mind. I wanted to go for mini golf. Husband wanted to go to Ripplye's believe it or not. Mother-in-law just wanted to sit somewhere. The other three(husband's brother, his wife and husband's niece) wanted to go try their hand or rather leg at roller skates. So husband went to Ripplye's with the kid. Entrance fees Rs 100. We all with the other kid went to roller skates. Myself and MIL sat there watching the other 3 try to skate. Ticket Rs 100 for unlimted time. But once you get out of the room, you can't get back with the same ticket. The three of them without any prior experience did some skating with the help of a trainer available there. We had a nice time watching them trying to walk with the skates and tripping down every now and then. It seems the trainer said, if you are good enough you can learn to skate decently within 1 hour. If you already know skating, I think this place is for you..You can just be there skating away to glory. By the time we came out, husband also came out. He was not very happy with Rippley's stuff.
Food
It was 12:30 PM and we were all hungry. We just had a breakfast of scones which was not very filling. We went to the food court. We being vegetarians had fod at Udupi Ananda Bhavan and Jain foods. The food was good. There are also few other food courts and some chains like McDonalds and Pizza corner.
Attractions and amusements continued.Karoake
Then there was this Karoake section where you can sing for free of cost. Husband's niece being a good singer sang a song in the mother tongue. It was a very good performance. We had a nice treat to the ears. She got recorded her song for Rs 50.Cartoon City
It was high time that the kids got their much needed chance to have fun. So off we went to the cartoon city. The entrance to the cartoon city was quite pleasing. There were many rides for the kids. All the rides costed Rs 30 per person. Since our kids could not do anything alone, we accompanied them. (So it was free for the kids.) We did some "dashing car" and "hit the shark"..Kids had fun. They were already feeling sleepy. We kept thier spirits high and eyes open by informing every now and then that we are going to the beach..(Yes, there is an artificial beach too in IFC..And kids just love to play in water..)Roller Coaster and Haunted mansion
We wanted to keep acqua world our last destination. Elders excluding MIL had a ride in the roller coaster for Rs 100 per person. Ride was good, but it was too short for Rs 100. Then three of them went to haunted mansion for Rs 100 per person. Each one had a different opinion about the attraction. Husband said it was OK. Husband's brother and his wife did not like it that much.Mini GolfThe time was now 3:30 PM. We were too tired to go anywhere else. Also the reviews for the other attractions was not that good like Lady Thussads, Miniature city, Dinosaur park, wannbe city. There was also a bowling aisle and go karting track.
Then me and husband tried our hands at mini golf for Rs 100 per person. There were totally 18 holes. We really did not have much fun there as most of the area was sloppy and slippery and the ball was just not stopping. But we had fun in recollecting the days when we used to play golf in computer each one trying to excel the other and were literally addicted to it.Acqua World
We straight went to acqua world. Entrance fees Rs 150 for adults, 100 for kids. Our kids were too small to be charged. And the best part, entry was free for senior citizens..We left our belongings with MIL who was sitting in a shade. There were also lockers availble for Rs 50 per locker. Acqua world consists of an artificial beach with real sand. Though there is a 1 feet wall dividing the sand from the beach. You can't enter the beach with muddy feet. There is basically no dress code to enter the beach. Kids had a really nice time there. We missed the artificial waves which happens every 1 hour or so..There was loud music and a DJ. It was good. It would have been good if there were some water games. We came out of the beach at around 5:00 changed clothes and left acqua world at 5:30.
We had some snacks and left IFC at around 6PM. Reached home by 7 in the evening. Overall it was a nice getaway. It was a bit tiresome as IFC is built in a huge area. So had to walk a lot. It was nice going as a family. We had a nice, enjoyable time. I would surely not say "What a place" (IFC's slogan), but defintely it is a place worth visiting atleast once.
I have posted some pictures too which just gives an idea about how IFC looks. For the real experience, do visit once
