While the family crowd has mostly shifted to the multiplexes,single-screen theatres in the city are struggling to find takers. As Shakuntalam,in Delhi,shuts down to give way to a business centre,is it going to be the end of the road for its peers as well? It was in the year 1963 when a 25-year-old man walked into an empty movie hall,with a flashlight in his hand. The movie playing was Gehra Daag,starring Rajendra Kumar and Mala Sinha,and it was the first day on the job for Gopi Krishna Sharma at the Amba Cinema in Kamla Nagar,Delhi,where he has been working for 49 years now. I have always been fond of movies, he says,adding,Even as a boy,Id sneak out of my house to go and watch movies. But then,again,those were different times. Almost 75 years old,Sharma is now the manager of the said cinema hall,which is one of the few remaining single-screen movie halls in the Capital. With one of the oldest theatres,Shakuntalam,which screened its last show on March 31 to be redeveloped into a conference hall to cater to the business-to-business clientele of the India Trade Promotion Organisation Sharma gets nostalgic about the good ol days of Indian cinema. There used to be a time when families,their numbers going into dozens,would come to our theatre to watch films, says Sharma. Now,its mostly the Delhi University (DU) students who bunk their classes to watch movies here, he adds. With a slew of multiplex theatres burgeoning in the city,old and single-screen theatres such as Moti Cinema in Chandni Chowk,Regal Theatre in Connaught Place and Batra near Delhi University,among others,are facing tough times. NR Saini,manager of Golcha,Daryaganj,for the last 30 years,says,Weve adapted to the current trends. We had to update our systems,upgrade our infrastructure and give the cinema a nicer look, he explains. Of course,its not like the old days when movies were a cult thing. Now,its hard for me to remember what movie played last week, he says. However,the multiplex generation doesnt underestimate single-screen theatres. Netra Shah,a first-year sociology student at DU,says,Single-screen theatres are so convenient. Watching a movie there costs lesser than what it costs at the multiplexes,which is a very important consideration for students like me who operate on a shoestring budget. So,we frequent these theatres. GS Rathore,who has been working at the Shiela cinema,known for being Indias first 70-mm movie hall,blames this diminishing interest on the shopping mall and television culture. These multiplexes are located mostly in malls where people can shop,eat and watch a movie. How are we to compare with that? Also,with television showing most of the movies within few weeks of their release,why would people want to step out of their houses? he wonders.
