Curtains for iconic Sambalpur talkies

BHUBANESWAR: The cinema was a mute witness to the transformation of a sleepy Sambalpur town to a throbbing city, the commercial hub of western Odisha.
Nostalgia gripped cine buffs and denizens alike as the iconic Ashoka Talkies, a major landmark of Sambalpur, hosted its last show on Sunday. "We organized a special screening of Bhoothnath for invited audience, comprising senior citizens and children," said Siddharth Saha, one of the promoters.Saha said a multiplex will come up on the 25,000 square feet area.
Senior citizen R S Verma said death of the talkies will be painful. Going down the memory lane, he said, "I first watched Manoj Kumar-starrer Gumnaam in 1965. I attended the last show to complete my tryst with a fabulous hall," he said. Established in 1964, the talkies was one of the three cinemas in Sambalpur. It debuted with Dilip Kumar-starrer 'Dil Diya Dard Liya'. Gaiety Talkies, the oldest, was closed long back. Only Laxmi Talkies has survive the test of time.