When film enthusiasts Sandeep and Dhananjay Kulkarni first approached Sathaye College in Vile Parle for space to start a film club, little did they know that it’ll turn out to be a catalyst to a movement that will serve a larger cause.

Today, the duo is looking forward to the inauguration of The Wide Angle — the 170-seater auditorium — on January 11 that will serve as a platform for staging plays as well as house a film society. What makes the space special is the fact that various theatre groups - Quasar Padamsee’s Q Theatre Productions, Sunil Shanbag’s Arpana, Akarsh Khurana’s Akvarius, Manav Kaul’s Aranya and Jaimini Pathak’s Working Title - pooled in resources to get the place up on its feet.

“It all started with the desire to have a space in the suburbs where a bunch of film enthusiasts could get together and watch films. At the same time, the college was readying to mark their 50th anniversary by building an auditorium. Things worked out and when I shared my plan with friends from theatrical circles, we formulated that the space could also support experimental theatre and become an alternative to Prithvi Theatre,” recounts Sandeep, also a theatre actor.

He then approached theatre veteran and mentor Sunil Shanbag for guidance. According to Sandeep, Shanbag has been pivotal to the project. “His theatre group works with young artistes. After initial discussions, he helped pool resources and get various theatre groups involved,” says Sandeep as he explains how the involved parties approached their contacts in architectural, sound, lights and design industries to work on minimal fees.

The space will prove an important resource for groups like Arpana and QTP that deal with projects of smaller scales. Padamsee therefore looks at his participation as an investment. “We got involved at a much later stage, when Sunil (Shanbag) prompted us, after the blueprints were drawn and talks worked out with Sathaye College. It’s an intimate space and a great alternative to Prithvi and NGMA.”

“It’s been a joint effort to utilise the rare opportunity to add to the city a new space for performance arts. We thank the college authorities for their support,” Shanbag modestly says, refusing to take any credit. Such a project, however, isn’t new for Shanbag, who had also developed a mini amphitheatre in the backyard of YWCA Hostel, Andheri, along with Ramu Ramanathan.

The involved parties however, are still chalking out the responsibility chart to maintain The Wide Angle. Besides, the college has given the permissions to use the auditorium for a mere eight days in a month. “That’s to test waters and will change over next few months,” assures Shanbag.