NAGPUR: Long queues in front of ticket counters, the fights to grab tickets of first day first show, security guards trying to control the crazy mob, and people whistling and dancing to popular songs in cinema halls. Such scenes are gradually fading out from the landscape of this Orange city. The single-screen cinemas, which used to witness silver, golden and platinum jubilees of numerous films, are closing down one by one paving way for the multiplex culture in the city.
Single-screen theatres namely Regent, Regal, Nataraj, Amardeep, Narsing, and Shyam have already downed their shutters permanently. The recent name to join the list is that of Smruti Cinema.
There was a time when these single-screen theatres were the only source of entertainment for people in Nagpur. They used to record houseful shows and good business during those days. But today’s mall and multiplex culture has divided people, who are getting multiple options of leisure and entertainment. The single-screen theatres, which couldn’t change according to the changing times, were left with no option but to shut their doors. Whereas the cinema halls like Sudama, Panchsheel, Alankar, Laxmi, Liberty and Janki remained updated and are therefore competing with the multiplexes even today.
Nowadays people are getting attracted to multiplexes, which offer multiple option of entertainment at one place. Especially the younger generation is getting crazy for this new culture. But this is resulting in decreasing turnouts at the single-screen theatres. Sometimes the theatres having a capacity of 1,000 see only a few dozen people sitting inside. Due to increasing losses and drought of long-running films, single-screens are finding it difficult to run the business.
Some of the owners expressed that of running a single-screen theatre had become a risky business as income was descending and expenses were ascending day by day. Only star-driven and superhit films now draw audiences to the single-screens. These theatres otherwise wear a deserted look on other days.
The closing down of single-screens has also affected the livelihood of many small vendors, who used to sell food items outside these theatres.
Alok Tiwari, the manager at Janki Cinema, said that the multiplex culture has divided the audiences as they get multiple options of entertainment there. However, there are a lot of audiences, who still like to enjoy a movie in single-screens, he said. The theatres, which take care of audiences’ interest and convenience, definitely see the turnout, he said.
