Curtain call: Cinema's old-world charm

There was a time when going to the movies was not just about what was on the silver screen. It was an experience that included long queues in front of theatres with ornate facades and regal interiors, hoping for last-minute deals with ticket black marketers, and shows that would run for months on end. As movie screens shrink into the palms of our hands, we revisit some of these iconic venues in Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai for a glimpse of what silver screens were really meant to be
Published: Dec 15, 2018
Curtain call: Cinema's old-world charm

Image by : Madhu Kapparath

18/20
  • Curtain call: Cinema's old-world charm
  • Curtain call: Cinema's old-world charm
  • Curtain call: Cinema's old-world charm
  • Curtain call: Cinema's old-world charm
  • Curtain call: Cinema's old-world charm
  • Curtain call: Cinema's old-world charm
  • Curtain call: Cinema's old-world charm
  • Curtain call: Cinema's old-world charm
  • Curtain call: Cinema's old-world charm
  • Curtain call: Cinema's old-world charm
  • Curtain call: Cinema's old-world charm
  • Curtain call: Cinema's old-world charm
  • Curtain call: Cinema's old-world charm
  • Curtain call: Cinema's old-world charm
  • Curtain call: Cinema's old-world charm
  • Curtain call: Cinema's old-world charm
  • Curtain call: Cinema's old-world charm
  • Curtain call: Cinema's old-world charm
  • Curtain call: Cinema's old-world charm
  • Curtain call: Cinema's old-world charm
DELHI: Raj Cinema, in Gurugram, opened in 1953 and still sports hard wooden seats and a screen that runs on a projector. The reels at Raj Cinema are often old and brittle, and tend to snap. The projectionist Raj Kumar has the job of splicing them and keeping them running.