Once packed, now demolished: India’s iconic movie halls are vanishing
BENGALURU, Sept 28 — The demolition has begun at Bengaluru’s Urvashi Cinema, once a 1,200-seat movie palace...
Bengaluru, September 28 — The demolition of Bengaluru’s Urvashi Cinema, a 1,200-seat movie palace, is part of India's vanishing single-screen era. Manjunath, who recalls the theatre's glory days in the 1970s, lamented the dwindling crowds. Photographer Hemant Chaturvedi, who has documented 1,350 single-screen cinemas across 1,000 towns, documented the ornate facades and decay of these cinemas.
The old halls offered a communal, interactive experience, with fans cheering, clapping, and shouting at dramatic twists. Researchers estimate that India had around 14,000 single-screen halls in the 1980s, but only around 2,000 remain today. Despite some being restored, the single-screen experience is gradually fading as people flock to air-conditioned multiplexes with reclining seats and delivered food.
Written by urgent.news from Malay Mail's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
