Touring & other talkies

While watching Pravahi, Arun Khopkar’s documentary on bharata natyam dancer Alarmel Valli, you were impressed as much by the comfort and projection quality of Sree cinema in the Satyam complex as by the film itself and the art of its protagonist. The multiplexes in the city and the one at Mayajaal, beyond the ECR tollgate‑‑especially the latter‑‑make filmgoing a pleasurable experience, even if the gate does impose a heavy toll on your wallet. For this, I guess we must thank the omnipresence of television and the instant gratification it provides millions of consumers in their living rooms, which forced film exhibitors to upgrade their theatres and make them desirable destinations.

There was a time when going to a movie at select venues in Madras was a thrilling experience. English film buffs looked forward to new releases at Minerva and New Elphinstone, which, if I am not mistaken, survived into the seventies. Tucked away in a quiet corner not far from bustling Broadway, Minerva was a tiny little hall, the quality of the movies exhibited there its sole claim to fame. How many wonderful Hollywood films we old Madrasis have seen there! A movie at Elphinstone was a different adventure altogether, made so by Jafar’s Soda Fountain with its gleaming counter and mouthwatering icecreams, to which you made a beeline during the interval.

The sixties brought new excitement in the form of Safire and Blue Diamond near where the Gemini flyover is now. At Safire and Anand, a kilometer down the road, we first saw 70mm cinema, while the continuous shows at Blue Diamond were a huge draw. There, if you were crazy enough, you could finish watching a movie and stay on for the next show.

Unforgettable are ‘touring talkies’ like Jayanthi and Theyagaraja, now permanent cinema halls at Tiruvanmiyur, but tents which moved from place to place in the sixties, thanks to the temporary licences they were given. It was all pretty informal, and the projector operators were not above restarting an already running film to please college students who came in late in groups. Special weekend attractions were English films offered as add-ons to Tamil pictures. Two for the price of one!