Rewind to simpler times

The swanky and palatial cinema theatres I see today contrast starkly with the unpretentious godown in Munnar where we, as children, huddled to watch movies in the early 8217;50s. Pankajam Theatre, as it was grandiosely named, was then the only source of entertainment for the residents of the isolated hill-station. One had to inch along in a queue, hemmed in by rails, to purchase a one-anna 8216;bench ticket8217; through a pigeonhole. The only other class was the so-called 8216;balcony8217; 8212; three rows of unupholstered wooden chairs on a raised platform. To lounge in one of these one had to cough up the then unaffordable sum of 4 annas.

Inside the poorly ventilated structure, beedi smoke swirled freely spreading its acrid tang everywhere, despite the 8216;No Smoking8217; signboards. Sandwiched tight between the other viewers, we squatted on a rickety bench that sometimes swayed a bit under the weight of its occupants. Bugs usually had a field day, nipping us into contortions and mice often scurried between our feet, squeaking. The building was far from soundproof; consequently, traffic horns on the adjacent main road frequently drowned out the soundtrack of the film.

But for children these little irritants never detracted from the sheer fun of sitting through a Tamil movie replete with romance, melodrama, comedy and fisticuffs. The decrepit single projector would wheeze audibly and each change of reel brought a brief interval that saw the snack vendors trooping in. And soon we would be merrily munching groundnuts out of little paper cones. Once a week an English movie was screened, introducing us to the hilarious antics of Laurel and Hardy as well as Charlie Chaplin 8212; how we laughed our hearts out! Later, as adolescents, we sometimes couldn8217;t resist the temptation to sneak in, after the lights had dimmed, for the occasional 8216;adults only8217; movie, with the connivance of the friendly doorkeeper. In retrospect, however, A-rated English movies then were pretty bland compared to what they are now!