As two more movie halls shut shop, celebs recall the guzra zamana of Delhi’s single-screen theatres

Just by hitting a few keys on your smartphone, you can now book a seat of your choice for your next movie outing. Gen Y can barely imagine what it used to be like coming up with excuses to bunk school, college and even office to stand in never-ending queues to buy movie tickets. Or how people would swim across an ocean of movie-lovers to get their favourite seat, much like Anil Kapoor’s Raju did in Laadla.They also won’t know what it’s like having police officers doing rounds at theatres, trying to nab anyone cleverly uttering ‘bees ka ek’ to sell tickets in black. This defines the single-screen era in Delhi, around three decades ago. The era, when watching a movie was not just an activity, but an occasion by itself. Those who have seen films in single-screen theatres, swear by their ‘magic’.
Due to the mushrooming of multiplexes, single-screen cinemas started shutting years back. However, the decision to shut Delhi’s Regal and Ritz theatres recently has sent many on a nostalgia trip. In the 1970s, Delhi had 67 single screens, now in 2016, there are only around 29 left. Some 20 single-screen theatres have shut down in the last year itself. While for some, going for a movie might be just about the film itself, others, whose lives took a ‘cinematic turn’ after watching films in these cinema halls, call the closing of single-screens tragic. We spoke to a few celebs about the guzra zamana of Delhi’s cinema halls...
Single-screens aren’t just about movies, they’re part of our culture: Swara Bhaskar
“I was heartbroken when Chanakya shut down. It was while watching films in Chanakya that I decided to go to Bombay and become an actor. Shakuntalam was another favourite. I feel very disappointed, because I share a special relation with single-screen cinema halls. They’re not just about movies, but also about the culture of movie-going itself. It makes me nostalgic – theatres that didn’t have too many seats, jahan houseful ho jata tha, jahan subah se lambi lines lagti thi ticket ke liye, jahan black mein ticket bikti thi... That’s really how Bollywood unified India. It’s illegitimate to make luxury so expensive that single-screens could not even survive.”
My film journey started at Regal, Rivoli: Anurag Kashyap
“It was 1993, my gap year. The only thing that I did that year was to go to a film festival. This film festival took place at Rivoli and Regal – I was watching five films a day, back to back! From Zoology class, suddenly I was in a completely different zone. Before that, I had never thought about making films. Only after that did I decide to go to Bombay and be part of the film industry.”
Single-screens bas yaadon mein hi rahengi: Piyush Mishra
“Do cinema halls humein hamesha yaad aayenge – Archana aur Shakuntalam. Sab pictures – Godfather, Ben-Hur etc wahin dekhi. Paise hote nahi the dekhne ke liye, phir bhi hum sab jugaad kiya karte thay. Maine, Irrfan (Khan) aur Tigmanshu (Dhulia) ne saath mein kayi filmein dekhi hain single-screens pe. Single-screens ki kaafi yaadein hain, aur ab woh bas yaadon mein hi rahengi.”
If Regal goes, it would be tragic: Tom Alter
“Band honge? Single-screens are already gone! I used to watch a number of films at Regal. If Regal goes, sad is a really small word to describe it. It’s tragic...”

Govt should support single-screen owners: Aanand L Rai
“I’ve seen lot of films at Archana. In fact, Archana aur Chanakya do jagah thay jahaan English movies lagti thi. I used to go to Sapna theatre also to watch films when I was in Delhi. The shutting down of single-screens is sad because they provided a different experience. I feel sorry for the next generation – they will never be able to watch movies in single-screen theatres. We should restore at least a few single-screen cinema halls. However, it’s tough on the owner’s pockets, and hence this calls for government intervention. The government should support single-screen theatre owners.”
I have a romantic, emotional connect with Regal: Kabir Khan
“I was living in Delhi and I have seen all the films in the single-screens of Delhi. My home was in Pandara Road, so I have seen a lot of films at Plaza and Regal. In fact, I have a romantic, emotional connect with Regal and Rivoli. I hope single-screens also co-exist with multiplexes. Watching a film with thousands of people in a single-screen cinema hall isn’t the same as watching a film with 200 people in a multiplex. In multiplexes, reactions of people are quite subdued and sophisticated. I’d watched my film Bajrangi Bhaijaan in Gaiety Galaxy (in Mumbai) and the atmosphere was electric.”
Watching films at Shakuntalam helped me grow: Vibha Chibber
“As NSD students, we’d get free passes for many shows, even at Shakuntalam theatre in Pragati Maidan. It used to screen the best Indian and world movies at economical prices. Going there was one of the things that helped me grow.”
I still go to single-screen theatres with friends: Manav Kaul
“I’ve seen a number of films at Rivoli and Regal in CP. The tickets were cheap and watching movies was fun during my college days. Going with a group used to be so much fun! Even now, we sometimes catch a movie at a single-screen theatre – the magic is unbelievable. Yes, multiplexes have their own charm, but single-screens are magical. It would be really sad if all single-screens shut down. We have to save and restore them, because they are as much a part of cinematic history as movies.”

Single-screens bite the dust, superplexes on the rise
Humare zamane mein itne screens nahi thay: Shah Rukh
“The Superplex is stupendous. Humare zamane mein aise keval 15 screens thay, aur din mein keval 3 shows hote thay. Par aisi jagah pe kuch 80 shows hote hain. The best feature of the Superplex is that there is a seperate theatre for kids – I think all cinema halls should have a separate theatre for kids.”
The seat’s jerk felt like that of a real bike at the 4DX theatre: John Abraham
“I’ve travelled the world and watched movies in a lot of places. But when it comes to India, the movie-watching experience is superior. You get pampered when you come to a hall. I’ve never felt the 4DX experience before. I’m a biker, and the jerk of the seat felt like that of a real bike while watching clips at a 4DX theatre. With 4DX, the experience is great – objects are moving and the seats are moving. But this technology is limited to only a few theatres and we would like to see more come up.”
Thanks to new-age theatres, I can eat sushi inside the hall: Arjun Kapoor
“The reason we work in front of the camera is so that people can come and see us on the big screen. I never imagined that I would be able to eat sushi in a theatre. Cinemas are as much a part of the evolution of Hindi film industry as anything else.”
Have to give credit to multiplexes: Pankaj Kapur
“It’s sad that single-screens are shutting down, but we have to give credit to multiplexes for the variety they offer. It’s because of multiplexes that we see so many films being released in India, with a number of films running simultaneously.”