Mangaluru’s iconic single screen theatres are slowly disappearing

Team Udayavani, Feb 13, 2022, 8:30 AM IST

Mangaluru: With the rise of multiplexes and mobile internet, the once iconic single-screen theatres are slowly and surely disappearing.

At one time, there were more than 10 single-screen theatres in Mangaluru alone. These classic theatres used to run “Housefull” with people selling tickets outside in black. But today  Amruth, Platinum, and New Chitra theaters have closed down several months ago. Central Talkies was recently demolished. Currently, the Jyoti Theater is hoping to rise as a multiplex.

Amruth Theatre

D N Pai established Amruth in 1969 at Pandeshwar. Hindi movie “Nayi Roshni” was the first film displayed at this theatre which could seat 750 persons. The theatre closed its doors in 2007. Now a multi-storey building has come up at the place where it once stood.

Platinum Theatre

Another popular single-screen talkie, Platinum, was started by PM Shahida Ibrahim at Falnir Road in 1974. It had a seating capacity of 780. It closed down in 2017.

New Chitra Talkies

New Chitra was the first-ever theatre of Dakshina Kannada (DK). In 1926, Kochikar Vittaldas Pai set up ‘Hindustan Cinema’ which was later renamed as ‘Shree Chitra Talkies’ in 1936. After a renovation in, the theatre was rebranded as “New Chitra”. This theatre, which had carved out a niche for itself, pulled its curtains down in 2020.

Central Talkies

In 1927, K Krishnoji Rao started this talkie under the name of Krishna Touring Talkies when black and white films were a rage. Its name was changed to “Central Talkies” in 1941. It stopped screening movies in 2021 and is being demolished.

Jyothi Theatre

This classic movie theatre began enthralling movie buffs in 1950. The first film in Tulu Language “Enna Thangadi” was released here. This too is being demolished and a multiplex is planned to be built in its place.

Balaji theatre of Car Street also has stopped screening movie shows.

Today Prabhath and Suchitra on KS Rao Road, Ramakanti on Bhavanthi Street, Roopavani near the Central Market are the only single-screen theatres in operation.