Making it a special day

ISLAMABAD, March 28: As Pakistan takes on India for the first time in the World Cup semifinal in the Indian city of Mohali, fans are making special arrangements at home and outdoors for watching the `clash of titans` tomorrow. No movie will be shown at the five halls of Cinepex Cinema in Rawalpindi`s Jinnah Park. Cinema halls in Rawalpindi have been showing the matches of Pakistan live on big screen during the World Cup. But the clash between the traditional archrivals has made sure that all seats in the cinema`s five halls have been booked in advance. The price of ticket â€" Rs450 â€" is higher than the other cinemas in the city, but it made no difference to cricket buffs who want to see the mach on big screens. "All 1,500 tickets for the semifinal have been sold," an employee of the cinema told Dawn . The crowd tomorrow, he said, will be dominantly young. "It will be fun to watch the once-in-a-lifetime match in a cinema hall on a big screen," said Aalia, who lives in the nearby Chaklala Scheme-III. Though happy over the sell-out, the cinema`s management is also making arrangements for `handling` the charged crowd in both the scenarios of losing and winning. The students of Bahria University are planning to make the semifinal a fun filled day. "The university management has allowed us to view the match, but we still have to decide if the gathering will be in its auditorium or outdoors," said Sheraz, one of the organisers. "We are also arranging a mela exclusively for the university`s students." In Islamabad, the cricket enthusiasts will gather around the big screen outside the building of Islamabad Stock Exchange (ISE) in Blue Area. As the twin cities have witnessed rain and strong winds in the last 24 hours, the fans are hoping for a sunny Wednesday. According to Met Office, for the next few days weather will remain dry. Restaurants are also cashing in on the cricket fever, inviting the people to watch the match and enjoy their `delicious` food. However, some restaurants have come up with the idea of `entry tickets` to keep out the `unruly` crowd. For Rs400 ticket per person, Cloud9 in F-6 is offering snacks during the semifinal. Restaurants in Blue Area are making extra seating arrangements as they expect that it will be a day out for the families. Sogo2000 and Subway have installed flat screens in their dinning halls. "You enjoy the match more in such an environment," said Malik Sohail, a businessman, said. "The semifinal has turned into practically a national event." People visiting the restaurants in Blue Area will also be able to enjoy the match on the ISE`s big screen. Small food outlets in Rawalpindi and Islamabad also expect `full house` tomorrow. Their owners have ordered for more milk than the normal supply daily as they expect that tea will be ordered frequently during the match.