TIRUCHY: It was once part of the Big Four of Tiruchy city. Built with excess metal auctioned after the construction of the Mettur Dam, the 86-year-old Ramakrishna Talkies was more than just a movie theatre. A popular landmark of the city, the old-fashioned theatre that entertained Tiruchites for more than eight decades has closed its shutters forever and been reduced to rubble, much to the shock of film buffs.
Built by MRS Vas in 1934, Ramakrishna Talkies was once called the 'heaven of the poor'. Having a capacity of over 700 seats and with ticket prices at the bare minimum, it was a go-to destination for movie lovers to watch their favourite stars at the end of a long day's work. However, the ever-growing taxes and adverse consequences of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic means it's time for Tiruchites to say goodbye to the humble movie hall.
Venkatesh, the owner of the theatre since 2012, said, "The entertainment industry which was already suffering due to the implementation of GST faced a deadly blow later in the form of the pandemic and its lockdown. With theatres being closed for more than nine months, it was impossible to run it due to the heavy cost of maintenance. The relaxation also provided no relief as people are scared to watch movies in theatres. So it was time to take a call even if it meant doing so with a heavy heart."
Prior to Venkatesh taking over as the owner of the theatre in 2012, Ramakrishna Talkies was directly run by the family of Vas and maintained by his wards.
Vas's son MRS Ramakrishnan, whose name the theatre bears, also runs a hospital in the city. Jambaga Ramakrishnan, the wife of Ramakrishnan, said, "The theater named as Ramakrishnan Talkies was built by MRS Vas after a challenge from one of his cousins who asserted that it was impossible to remain in the entertainment industry by being upright."
Taking a walk down memory lane, MRS Ramakrishnan, a popular ophthalmologist from Tiruchy, said, "The theatre was born in the same year as me. In 1934, my father built a theatre at the land at Marakadai in the heart of the city by buying the metal which was declared as excess in the construction of the Mettur Dam. I was born by the time the theatre was completed. My father named the talkies after me and started running it. It is very heart-rending to imagine that the theatre is now being demolished."
The theatre continued to be run by the family of MRS Vas till 1947, upon which the family decided to rent the premises to different stakeholders. With several legal implications arising out of it, Jamabaga Ramakrishnan, a prominent women's welfare activist, took it upon herself to reclaim the ownership of the theatre legally and run the talkies named after her husband.
Jambaga Ramakrishnan said, "After a legal battle of more than 15 years, in 1989, I took over the theatre and raised it to a high standard. Though I had no prior knowledge in running cinema theatres, I invested a huge sum of money in its renovation and personally started overseeing its operations, making sure the talkies was the best in the city. I worked round the clock, consulted with several stakeholders, oversaw the entire operations multiple times in a day and made the theatre famous."
The theatre was a popular abode for movies from the time of Puratchi Thalaivar MGR to Thalapathy Vijay. With the talkies projecting countless flicks in its lifetime, Vijayakanth's Vallarasu Superstar Rajinikanth's Baasha were some of the blockbusters to have run here.
Rajagopal, a staff member who had been associated with the theatre since 1998, said, "As the maximum ticket price was only Rs 30 till 2017, hundreds of people who finish their work came in the night to watch a movie. We used to have jam-packed crowds for several movies as the theatre was well-maintained and located in a prominent spot in Tiruchy. To see the theatre that gave me my livelihood crash down in front of my eyes breaks my heart and makes me inconsolable."
Apart from being a prominent landmark in Tiruchy, the theatre also lent its name to several development projects which came around it. Be it the bus stand nearby or the bridge which overpasses the theatre, they are all known by the name of Ramakrishna.
Pandian, a Tiruchy native who watched numerous flicks in his lifetime at the theatre, said, "Ramakrishna Talkies was one of the four popular theatres in Tiruchy along with Palace, Raja and Jupiter. The most memorable movie which I watched at the theatre was Velli Kizhamai Viratham in 1974. It was packed and I had somehow managed to purchase a ticket after work. Recently, when I crossed the theatre, I thought they were renovating it. It is very sad to know that it is now being demolished. But it will remain permanently in the hearts of residents."