Some of my earliest memories of going to the movies was at the good ol' single screen theaters. Those were the times before the dawn of the multiplex theaters. At the time, our movie outings usually happened in town. Town is what we Mumbaikars call south Mumbai. Sterling cinema I remember was oh soo cool. My first few English movies (as far as i remember) as a child - Home Alone, Jurassic Park, Free Willy etc. Sterling cinema was also,a t the time one of the the only cinema houses in Mumbai with Dolby Digital sound system. Fancy, ehh !!!
The single screen theater charm is hard to resist. It gave people the complete movie going experience. We would experience the movie as the film maker intended for us to. Of course back then there was no other choice. No one knew the luxury of multiplexes with their fancy food, super air conditioning and comfy seating. I hear many actors, directors etc still visit single screen theaters on the day of the release to see the reaction of the audience there.
Have you been to a theater where when Aamir Khan is waiting to face that last ball in 'Lagaan'; you see the theater going dead silent in prayer and then rejoicing on the victory like we have been crowned world champions ?? Have you ever been inspired to dance the Salman Khan moves in a theater because half the janta have gotten up and decided to turn it into a dance floor ?? Ever heard the public woot and whistle when the girls in Chakde India beat up that bunch of boys as SRK watches on ?? I have had some of these experiences and many more. I am sure many would agree and swear by these too. Single screen theaters were a delight for us poor, broke college who wanted to escape the shackles of college lectures. God bless those 10 am shows; 40/ 50 bucks tickets and our day was made. Of course, who can forget those 'black' guys - and I don't mean the race. You know the fellows in the crowds (movies depict them as full on taporis - rem Aamir Khan in Rangeela), the ones who go "dus ka tees", "dus ka tees"... Yeah they were saviours when a show was 'housefull' and you just didn't want to come back another day. Pay a little extra and you not only get the tickets but sometimes they could assure you corner seats.. "corner seat madam, koi nahi dekh sakta"; so much happiness for those couples who are deprived of privacy in this country.
The multiplexes brought in this big wave of change. They exposed us to cleaner theaters, better food, cushy & comfy seats (almost fully reclining seats in some), swanky bathrooms. Yeah, they spoiled us !!! But we all like to sneak back to those long gone memories once in a while. I did, just yesterday.The single screen theaters may be revamped and a whole lot different from 10/ 12 years ago but the joy of still paying 60 bucks a ticket for the 10 a show ... priceless !!!
The single screen theater charm is hard to resist. It gave people the complete movie going experience. We would experience the movie as the film maker intended for us to. Of course back then there was no other choice. No one knew the luxury of multiplexes with their fancy food, super air conditioning and comfy seating. I hear many actors, directors etc still visit single screen theaters on the day of the release to see the reaction of the audience there.
Have you been to a theater where when Aamir Khan is waiting to face that last ball in 'Lagaan'; you see the theater going dead silent in prayer and then rejoicing on the victory like we have been crowned world champions ?? Have you ever been inspired to dance the Salman Khan moves in a theater because half the janta have gotten up and decided to turn it into a dance floor ?? Ever heard the public woot and whistle when the girls in Chakde India beat up that bunch of boys as SRK watches on ?? I have had some of these experiences and many more. I am sure many would agree and swear by these too. Single screen theaters were a delight for us poor, broke college who wanted to escape the shackles of college lectures. God bless those 10 am shows; 40/ 50 bucks tickets and our day was made. Of course, who can forget those 'black' guys - and I don't mean the race. You know the fellows in the crowds (movies depict them as full on taporis - rem Aamir Khan in Rangeela), the ones who go "dus ka tees", "dus ka tees"... Yeah they were saviours when a show was 'housefull' and you just didn't want to come back another day. Pay a little extra and you not only get the tickets but sometimes they could assure you corner seats.. "corner seat madam, koi nahi dekh sakta"; so much happiness for those couples who are deprived of privacy in this country.
The multiplexes brought in this big wave of change. They exposed us to cleaner theaters, better food, cushy & comfy seats (almost fully reclining seats in some), swanky bathrooms. Yeah, they spoiled us !!! But we all like to sneak back to those long gone memories once in a while. I did, just yesterday.The single screen theaters may be revamped and a whole lot different from 10/ 12 years ago but the joy of still paying 60 bucks a ticket for the 10 a show ... priceless !!!
