The swanky and palatial cinema theatres I see today contrast starkly with the unpretentious godown in Munnar where we, as children...
Written by George N. Netto
2 min read
Whatsapp
Twitter
Facebook
Reddit
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.
You’ve Read Your Free Stories For Now
Sign up and keep reading more stories that matter to you.
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!
