Many of the theatres would let plays be conducted once in a way. The plays of actor M. R. Radha were immensely popular. He was known for his timing, presence of mind, and spontaneity. The actor was highly rated and once he had to go to Chennai fast, he immediately purchased a car (imported) and traveled immediately!
Many of the theatres would let plays be conducted once in a way. The plays of actor M. R. Radha were immensely popular. He was known for his timing, presence of mind, and spontaneity. The actor was highly rated and once he had to go to Chennai fast, he immediately purchased a car (imported) and traveled immediately!
The 70’s of the 20th century witnessed the inauguration of Sripathy theatre on Trichy road and this theatre was famous for its English movies and InterShows. Srivalli on N. S. R. Road and Maniam on Trichy road were some of the theatres from the past. Tickets were on demand on the day of release or Diwali. People used to make money by selling tickets in the ‘Black'. They were people who would somehow manage to buy tickets and sell it to a desperate audience at many times the price on special occasions. A newly married man would be prepared to pay a premium for a movie ticket on its release day, in order to please his bride! The police would be on the lookout for such black marketeers. However, many of them were adept in the art of survival.
Many of the theatres had basic amenities. Hygiene was just pass in most of the places, but people enjoyed the movies regularly. The cinema was the only form of entertainment. All the old town citizens who did household work would watch night shows. They used to buy the movie song books and read them before watching the movies. The movie song books would be in circulation amongst them.
Theatres had canteen which sold cigarettes, beedis, popcorn, vadai, tea & coffee. The city did not have many cars, but the theatres ensured that there was adequate parking. Every ticket counter was kept secured and the theatre manager was a VIP those days. Getting a ticket on a rush day was exciting. Central theatre was known for its English movies and a number of college students used to patronize the films.
A couple of theaters specialized on re-runs or second releases. They would show ‘God’ movies on Vaikunta Ekadashi & Mahashivarathri. Fan club members would be found in full attendance and would raise their voices on seeing the name of their ‘Star' on the screen. People would be ready to burst crackers on the day of release. A garland & pal abishekam to the cutout was a must those days. Couples used to come by cycles to watch movies. Royal theatre had the biggest cycle parking space. Shanmuga theatre on Mettupalayam road was famous for its ‘Vittalacharya’ magic movies. Kids would be present too on the ‘kid' seat. Movies were made in ‘Black & White’. Color movies were also popular.
Movie posters were extremely popular. They used to be pasted all over the town. Some fans got the posters and kept them as souvenirs. A few of the posters were used as wrappers for notebooks.
All the old cinema halls were mostly located in the town area. It had been densely populated for a long time. The theatres were just ‘walking distance’ from home. People preferred to walk to a movie. Cycles were used for ensuring that they got tickets. The cycle ticket was a revenue earner for the theatres.
Prior to these times, the touring talkies had a field day. Movies were shown in a tent. A team used to go with movie reels, generators, tents, and other arrangements to a location and run the venture. Eventually such ‘tent kottais' became permanent. India's first movie millionaire Swamikannu Vincent managed many such ‘tent kottais'. He had shown movies from Attock to down South in this manner. The reel change would take time and therefore the movies would have more than one intermission. It was time to snack and check out on the others from the neighborhood who would be present in the theatre.
Coimbatore was small those days. The municipality just had 50,000 people at the time of independence. Of course, places like Peelamedu, Singanallur got added later. However, the population was not much. Most of the people were either in business or they worked. Professionals were lesser in number.
Movie goers could go to one another theatre if the first one was full. They were closely located. The opening scene was important, and shopkeepers would make their spouse nervous by taking them inside just on time. Well, life was fun, and people loved it. Many of the old theatres have either become relics or have given way to newer things. However, the old movie loving Coimbatore continues to enjoy quality entertainment.
Theatres would also have photos of their founders, celebrations, and pictures of special visits by stars. The theatre office would have several photo albums which would contain the complete collection of pictures pertaining to all the celebrations. A few old cinema halls continue to thrive due to the passion displayed by the families who own them. Coimbatore has had a fabulous ‘movie theatre’ heritage.