CHENNAI: We are a city known for its thriving cinema and theatre business, but before Tamil film industry became Kollywood that gave way to multiplexes, the movie theatres were known for their cultural impact. City Express explores the iconic theatres of erstwhile Madras before the arrival of multiplexes.
Samikannu Vincent, a railway planner from Tiruchy with his Tent Kottai and his supply of film projectors in the south, laid the base for the movie business in Madras in 1909. “The first ‘permanent’ theatre was set up in Broadway in 1911 and was known as the Bioscope,” shares Venkatesh Chakravarthy, regional director at the LV Prasad Film & TV Academy.
“When it comes to the theatre business in the city, there were several phases. Initially, theatres were built only by the Europeans and thus, elitist. After Gaiety Theatre, it became an indulgence for the working class. Theatres were built in Mint and Purashawalkam for the working class and these were the areas where migration was more,” explains Chakravarthy.
Gradually theatres like the Elphinstone opened in 1916 followed by Wellington (1917), Globe (1938), Paragon (1934), Casino (1941) and Chitra in Pudupet (1948). Elphinstone screened English films and then got a strong hold on Malayalam films. “There was an ice cream parlour near Elphinstone called Jaffars. The falooda and tooty-fruity there was just out of the world and whenever dad said let’s go to Elphinstone, we knew we were going to be treated in Jaffars as well,” recalls Mohan, actor and Tamil film history expert.
Soon thereafter, a strip of theatres opened between 1916 and 1940s. Shanti, the first air-conditioned theatre of Chennai was set up in 1961. Amid several theatres including Odeon, Minerva, Globe and Casino that screened Hollywood movies, (which came in a big way in the 60s) Shanti stuck to the roots and screened some of the biggest hits of Sivaji Ganesan.
Next to Shanti came Anna Theatre, and the last theatre to be established on the Mount Road stretch was Devi Paradise in 1970. “Though there were several theatres around Mount Road, Shanti was the stand-alone iconic theatre when it came to Tamil films. Sivaji Ganesan’s family acquired it in the 60s and since then, it has mostly hosted Sivaji fans,” narrates Mohan. The theatre has a record of running the movie Thirisoolam (1979) house-full for the first 100 days.
Though the number of theatres was limited back then, it was a huge hit among movie-goers. “The seating capacity in Shanti was 11,000, which is equal to five screens in Sathyam now. Imagine the number of eyes that would have watched the movie in each show!” adds Mohan as he talks about the famous Safire, Blue diamond and Emerald theatre that were established in 1964.
Though the concept of multiplex and ticket reservations was unknown at that time, the three screens became the first multiplex in India. Established by Veecumsees, Safire was the earliest 70mm theatre and one among the three 70mm theatres (Anand, Safire and Pilot) at the time. With tickets priced at a margin of `120 today, would you believe that travelling to the theatre and watching the movie cost only `1.50 during the 60s and 70s? The tickets were priced between 84 paise and `1.66, and sometimes, the balcony tickets cost around `2. “Bus fare was 15 paise and the
movie ticket was 86 paise, we used to have a balance of 4 annas or 8 annas. Whatever money we had saved, we used to buy peanuts and mangoes on our way back, take a stroll through the beach and reach home,” adds Mohan.
The not-so-alien concept of ‘couple seats’ today, existed back then too. Chakravarthy reveals that the box in a theatre was exclusive for couples and family. The number of shows have changed from a mere three (morning, matinee and night) to five or six shows a day depending on the theatre.
Chakravarthy rues that the culture has changed today. “Theatres used to be a place that enlivened us to watch and discuss films. Now, audience come in huge crowds, buys popcorns, cold drinks and leave in herds. The character of the city, theatre and the audience is lost,” he adds. “Back then, 99% of the people in the theatre used to be known faces...Now, the personal touch is lacking.”