Though I am not greatly
enthused by Cinema – I am attracted by the many theatres that dot(ted) Mount Road – [from : Santhi,
Anna, Devi complex, Alankar, Wellington,
Plaza, Alankar, Midlands, Anand, Saffire and more..] In Kakinada, there was the
Cinema road, which housed so many cinema theatres. The older ones of Chennai would include Crown Talkies ,Murugan Talkies, Gaiety, Casino, Chtira, Paragon, Wellington,
New Elphinstone, Minerva, Star – and I had posted about Padmanabha theatre in
Walltax road (V.O. Chidambaram Stret)
Madurai on
the banks of River Vaigai is a great place closely associated with Tamil
literature – the place of Tamil sangams.
The land of Pandiyas and Thirumalai Nayak which has a bench of Madras
High Court is often portrayed in Tamil films for its violence and depicted as
though people roam with arivals !
In this part of the World,
Cinema is a powerful medium – many of the heroes nurture political ambition as
some has encashed their online popularity into votes and political power. Cinema is capable of bringing together people
from different strata of society – not providing entertainment but even
nurturing their political ambition.
In a recent visit – saw a
building being demolished [very common in any other city] – what was uncommon
was that the vast tract of land [which reportedly is in some legal dispute]
once housed the famous ‘Thangam Theatre’ credited as the largest cinema hall in
Asia during its inception, and hence a popular landmark. The cinema hall, located on the West Perumal
Maistry Street, could seat 2,563 persons officially, spread over more than
52,000 square feet, and which gave the movie-goers a unique visual experience
because of its technically superior structure.
The huge hall which once housed thousands of persons cheering their
heroes is no more … Thangam Theatre had
drawn crowds from distant places in Madurai and nearby areas. Film buffs recall that Parasakthi, released
in 1952, and Nadodi Mannan in 1958 were mega hits. A critic pointed out that
Thangam was goldmine for the distributors who wanted quick collection but not
the preferred one for Stars due to its capacity.
And nearer the Railway Station – saw another – touted to be the oldest
one – ‘Thanga Regal’ theatre – which in colonial times was a conference hall
equipped with library named Victoria hall.
Established in 1902, it perhaps was the first of the closed auditoriums. It is known for its architecture too.
Jumping to the nearby Trichy
[Trichinolopy Jn] – there obviously are many here too. Nearer the Trichy bus stand / Railway
station, saw this theatre which looked quite neat and attractive. It is Kalai Arangam theatre. It is stated that the premises comprises of a
vacant land of an extent of 2.5 acres and a constructed building area of 34200
sq.ft. known as the Kalaiarangam in the heart of Trichy belonging to the
State. The said land was under the
administrative control of the then Municipality of Trichy (now Corporation of
Tiruchirapalli). According to a report
in 1962, the Dist Collector organised a cattle fair and generated a surplus of
revenue. An association was formed and
regularly the place was rented out.
Today, it is a movie hall of 1260 capacity sporting a smart look, an
airconditioned one at that.
To those who have been born and brought up in Metropolis – it is quite
an experience to go for a movie in a village theatre, more so, if it were to be
a ‘touring talkies’………. [do they exist now ?]
With regards – S. Sampathkumar
5th Nov. 2014.
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