We are in the age of multiplexes where several movies run simultaneously in an atmosphere of comfort or luxury. But those who grew up watching movies in cinema halls, especially in small towns, can recall certain interesting things which used to make film-going a very special affair.
In Dehradun, the town where I grew up, there were around a dozen cinema halls. I can remember the names well. Odeon, Orient, Natraj, Capri, Krishna Palace, laksmi, Digvijay, Filmistan, Prabhat, Kanak ..an some more. Since the good old days, some of these have survived. Kanak, Krishna Palace, Odeon and lakshmi have closed down. Capri is now a trade centre. Prabhat and Natraj are still going strong as they could move with the times and are very comfortable. Odeon had a lovely cafeteria that served delicious South Indian food. The café survived when the hall closed down. Now the café is gone too! I remember going to Odeon from school, walking with the entire class, led by our teachers, for the morning shows where we watched classics like Far From the Madding Crowd, My Fair lady and Cleopatra. That was a time experience which is etched forever on my mind. Next to Odeon was Natraj Book Shop where we were allowed to have a look at the books once the show got over. Fortunately, the book shop is still around.
The red rexin and wooden/iron chairs in the halls were not so comfortable, the mosquitoes were very much at home in the hall and the fans made a strange creaking noise. The doors were left open most of the time and when it rained, one could feel the sprinkle on one’s face. The pleasant breeze that came in from the doors was better than any AC. Watching a film in monsoon was exhilarating. Pakodas and popcorn added to the pleasure and so did hot elaichi tea brought inside by a man carrying a kettle and a small boy carrying cups. The only bad part was that people used to smoke in the hall and this sometimes led to brawls and quarrels. I have witnessed quite a few.
Another interesting phenomenon, which may sound objectionable to feminists now, was that in some towns, there used to be special shows only for ladies. Here, they could watch films without any kind of trouble which the presence of male audience could cause them. Many a burqa clad woman could be seen in these shows (one wonders whether the burqas enabled some men to sneak in too). I am sure these shows no longer exist. They were looked forward to by women in those days. The ritual of getting ready and waiting for the rickshaw to go for the morning ladies show was indeed fascinating for these ladies! Some even got new dresses stitched to wear to the show.
In the heyday of Mussoorie, cinema halls flourished and visitors as well as locals spent many a merry hour watching films, old and new, Indian and foreign.
Morning shows at the various cinema halls were a great hit with every one and so were the late night shows. Picture Palace, now a multiplex, was the first cinema hall to come up in Mussoorie. “The Electric Picture Palace”, to give it its original name, opened in 1912, soon after electricity came to the hill station. It was one of the country’s earliest cinemas. Besides, Picture Palace, there were five other cinema halls in the town, all of which have now closed down. These were Vasu, Rialto, Basant, Capital and Jubilee.
Days of the cinema halls got over in Mussoorie when people found alternatives like VCRs, cable TV, VCD and DVD players. The population of Mussoorie is limited and local visitors to the cinemas were always a limited number. But till the mid-eighties, when people used to come with their families for long vacations in the summer, there used to be a crowd at the cinemas.But things changed a lot by the beginning of the nineties. Rialto and Picture Palace used to run five shows a day all round the year. There was a lot of curiosity among people to know which would be the next release. They used to come and see the posters displayed in the gallery outside.
The halls are still there, locked up because the law prevents them from being used for anything else. Rows of empty seats gather dust while the silver screen grows green with mildew.