While passing St Albert’s College on Banerji Road, private bus conductors have long had a familiar call: “Anybody to get down at Sarita?”
The name needs no explanation. For generations of Kochiites, the Sarita-Savita-Sangeeta cinema complex has been a landmark, a meeting point and, above all, a place where countless movie memories were made.
Now, the iconic Sarita is ready for a new chapter. The biggest of the three screens, Sarita will reopen to the public on Saturday after a major facelift, bringing a modern cinema experience to a place steeped in nostalgia.
The state’s first three-in-one theatre complex was opened by businessman Pathrose Isaac in 1981. It quickly became one of the city’s most popular cinema destinations through the 1980s and 1990s.
But as multiplexes transformed the state’s cinema landscape, the old landmark gradually lost ground. Now, the place is getting back into the game.
Since its opening, the complex had undergone only one minor renovation, apart from the transition from analogue to digital projectors. Much of its old-world character remained, giving it the feel of a luxurious time capsule from the 1980s.
On Saturday, however, Sarita will flaunt a completely refreshed look for the matinee show of the Onam blockbuster ‘Bethlehem Kudumba Unit’.
The old digital projector has been replaced with a 4K RGB laser projector, screening films on a massive 60x25-ft silver screen.
The 1,200-seat hall has been scaled down to 713 seats, but remains one of the biggest single screens in the state. With an emphasis on providing a premium theatre experience, the old-school seating has given way to a mix of sofas, recliners and comfortable push-back seats.
“The renovations that we undertook are almost similar to setting up a new theatre. Massive investments were made, turning the screen into competition with other movie theatres in the city,” says Isaac Francis, one of the partners of the cinema complex.
“What we focused on specially was to retain the size of the hall and not to cut it into small boxes. Now everybody has small home theatre setups in their homes itself. We wanted to retain the grand feeling of watching and enjoying cinema on a huge screen in a huge hall.”
Ticket prices have also been increased to match the upgraded facilities. The new rates range from `250 for regular push-back seats to `500 for premium recliners.
As Sarita reopens, Savita will close for renovations. Once its makeover is complete, Sangeeta will get its turn.
For old-time movie buffs, the reopening is more than a theatre upgrade. It is a return to a familiar piece of Kochi.
“I have been a cinephile for a long time. Those three hours in the dark have always been my therapy after a long, exhausting week,” says P V Ganesh Prasad, a corporate manager and cine buff.
“For a boy born in 1978, the magic began in Kochi’s iconic screens such as Lakshman, Mymoon, Menaka and the beloved Sarita-Savita-Sangeeta complex. I am glad Sarita-Savita-Sangeeta are not having the same fate as the others.”
Nostalgia, Ganesh adds, comes rushing back. “I recall the excitement of watching ‘August 1’, ‘Kalalpada’, and ‘Manichitrathazhu’ in the ’80s and ’90s, right up to films like ‘96’ and ‘Jilla’,” he gushes.
Renjith M, a techie currently working in Bengaluru, echoes the excitement. “I studied at St Albert’s College. It used to be a ritual for us to bunk class and watch FDFS of any film that was released at Sarita-Savita-Sangeeta. The halls would ring with chants of ‘Royal Albert’s ki jai’. Even now when I pass by the road, the slogan automatically pops up in my mind,” he laughs.
“I will be travelling to Kochi soon just to revisit the cinema complex with my children — to show them their Dada’s old fief!”
The renovated Sarita screen will be inaugurated with the matinee show on Saturday. One doubt that Kochiites had for long: Are the screens named after real-life siblings? No, say the owners. They were random picks.