The dying single screen theaters of India are taking with them her cultural heritage

Globe Theatre, Ranikhet ; Image: Hemant Chaturvedi

Even as the year emerges victorious for box offices, for the country’s single-screen theaters, the pandemic is proving to be the last straw

From RRR and Gangubai Kathiawadi to The Kashmir Files, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, and KGF 2, the first half of 2022 has delivered back-to-back blockbusters for Indian movie-goers. As a result, the hard-hit theatrical medium—dormant for close to two years—more than bounced back this year, and multiplexes witnessed the highest-grossing figures in decades. At a time when producers, directors, and audiences gave into the ease of OTT, the last few months proved to be a pleasant surprise for the theatrical realm: they gave us the larger-than-life films, popcorn buckets, and collective spirit that the world had been stripped of since the onset of COVID-19. 

However, for a different breed of cinema halls, the curtains are well on their way to closing. For India’s already-endangered single-screen theaters, the future looks bleak. Unsustainable tax rates, legal complications, and the emergence of multiplexes are insidiously diminishing the country’s cinematic—and by extension, cultural—heritage, with the pandemic serving as the final bullet. A quick look at the stats is sufficient proof—the number of single-screen theaters in India dropped from 8,500 in 2018-19 to 6,200 in 2022, according to a report by the Financial Express. Despite the slight uptick in sales owing to box-office hits, these long-standing public spaces are fast-approaching their demise. The few that remain as ghostish reminders of a glorious past are family-run theaters that stand for pride, or out of compassion for their decade-old employees. 

Central Talkies Gondal; Image: Hemant Chaturvedi

A tale of yore

For a country that has relied on theaters as the singular source for mass entertainment for decades, these figures represent the end of an era. Especially in a post-independence India of the 1960s-80s that coincided with the heyday of stars like Amitabh Bachchan and Sridevi, movie-watching was hardly a passive activity. Hooting, whistling, clapping, and coin-flinging during a film was a common practice, with the hall often serving as a meeting point for lovers. Vendors sold cold drinks, chai, paan, and samosa, whilst black-marketeers traded tickets for the ‘first day, first show.’ Inside the theater, 1000-seater auditoriums spilled over capacity, viewers danced in the aisles, strangers cracked jokes, and audiences collectively underwent an emotional journey against the pervasive hum of the projector. With their nominal prices, the much-anticipated visit to the nearby single-screen theater was even the designated Sunday activity for many working-class families. Since the turn of the 19th century—when the first single screen theater was founded in Kolkata in 1907—these sites with their communal frenzy and bustle, have embodied a form of cultural expression for one of the largest movie-producing nations in the world. 

But aside from being cultural motifs, single-screen theaters have also served as integral architectural landmarks. Often nestled in the heart of a given city, these public spaces highlight regional architectural trends as well as the specific cultural milieu, their edifice and design as awe-inspiring as the contents they showcase. For filmmaker-photographer Hemant Chaturvedi, who recently documented around 950 of these remaining single-screen cinemas to preserve our country’s historical past—an investigation that led him to travel over 12,000 miles across 500 towns in 11 states–"there is no sound more deafening than the silence in an abandoned cinema theater,” as he relays over a remote interview. 

Wondrous views

Though it’s difficult for the photographer to handpick just a few design marvels from the hundreds he witnessed, he dotes on the work of pioneering Art Deco architect WM Namjoshi, who counts Jaipur’s Raj Mandir Theatre as his magnum opus. Namjoshi, who designed over 30 cinema theaters in his career span from 1940s to late 1970s, is also the genius behind iconic sites like the Phul Cinema in Patiala, Golcha Cinema in Delhi, and Liberty, Naaz, and Maratha Mandir in Mumbai. “His use of classic Deco non-direct lighting, his wooden embellishments, the metal work, his use of the then-popular glass sculpture techniques, the red and yellow ochre and mosaic, and just the manner in which he created an architectural and design moment, leave you speechless,” explains Chaturvedi. 

Raj Mandir, Jaipur ; Image: Hemant Chaturvedi

For the photographer, the unique appeal of structure is when it strikes a sense of awe in the audience, is aspirational to the clientele, and has a curious value addition to the viewing experience. The opulent Raj Mandir theater in Jaipur, which is visited more for its architecture than for film-viewing, is the perfect example. Located on modern Jaipur’s most historic road—at the junction where the Walled City begins—it boasts the classic salmon pink exterior that is synonymous with the city. Frequently compared to a giant meringue, the 1970 building presents a bejeweled facade, showcasing nine gems representing the navratnas from Hindu mythology. Inside—a grand foyer, radiant banisters, lush carpeted floors, and majestic chandeliers. Watching a film here is meant to replicate the experience of watching a film like Pink City’s royalty. Though its present-day is not a patch on its jostling peak, Raj Mandir is one of the few single-screen theaters of Jaipur that is still functional, run by one of the city’s oldest aristocratic families. 

The End?

For the owner of Mumbai’s once-celebrated Naaz Cinema, it wasn’t economically viable to keep the space alive. The Lamington Road gem—shut down a few years ago—now sits derelict, sometimes used by the neighbourhood kids as a playground. In its golden days, one would walk in to be greeted with high ceilings, Plaster-of-Paris statues of cherubs and that of an angel playing a bugle. To the right, a magnificent mirror-lined foyer. Designated boxes for families, and a special creche for babysitting stood out as more distinct features of this special space. Naaz is one of the 185 casualties—of the original 200 single-screen theaters in Mumbai, only 15 remain.

In Delhi, only three of its 80 single screen theaters have managed to survive: Liberty, Delite, and Amba. From the 24,000 single screens in India in 1990, there are barely 6000 still standing in 2022, according to Chaturvedi’s research. Across the nation, Chaturvedi found these sites to be now speckled with abandoned equipment, torn posters, and dilapidated remains. “Anyone who is holding on, I celebrate your courage and resilience,” he adds. 

However, not all hope is lost. Some cinema owners are staying afloat through innovative solutions like screening erotic or regional films or using the space for different types of cultural performances, while others are revamping their age-old theaters—like Jaipur’s The Gem Cinema which recently resumed operations after 16 years. With the return of South Indian action flicks that tend to perform well at such spaces—owing to the young male demographic they cater to—there has even been a beam of comfort. In states like Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka—which possess the highest number of single-screen theaters in the country—“between the four languages, and a minimum of four superstars per language, and an average of 16 blockbuster films annually, the business continues to flourish,” reveals Chaturvedi. 

This story originally appeared in Architectural Digest India