Talking cinema

ITalking cinema
Vijay Times

IN THESE days of multiplexes, its almost a miracle to see a hundred-and-tenyear-old cinema hall in its pristine form. Elgin Talkies, named after Viceroy Elgin, is situated in the middle of the bustling Shivaji Road, in Tasker Town. And wonder of wonders, not only has the building retained its old structure, but has been using the same projector that was initially installed to screen the talkies. On December 14 this year, to celebrate the platinum jubilee of Indian talkie cinema, Elgin screened Laila Majnu which was made in 1954, as part of the film festival organised by the Film Federation of India.

Elgin Talkies was built in 1896, by Veerabhadra Mudaliar, the great-grandfather of Krishnamurthy, who is currently looking after the theatre is the fourth generation owner of the theatre. Prior to showing movies, the building was used for entertainment programmes like dances and theatre plays. "I have heard from my grandfather, that our building was originally used for Kannada, Tamil, and other language plays. Musical programmes were also held," says Krishnamurthy.

In 1907, Elgin started showing silent movies. This happened just a few years after Lumiere Brothers presented their invention of moving films to a select audience at the Watson Hotel in Mumbai. Later, in 1930, it was converted into a talkie theatre when motion pictures started using dialogues. Alam Ara , the first talkie film to be produced in India, was screened at Elgin for the first time.

Surprisingly, the projector purchased in 1930 to screen the talkies is being still used in the theatre. "The projector has the audio system incorporated in it. Whenever repair work is needed for this equipment, we have some engineers who are well versed with the repair procedures. Even the spares are available in Bangalore," informs Krishnamurthy.

Elgin Talkies became popular during the time of Krishnamurthys grandfather, Natesha Mudaliar. The records meticulously maintained by him are still available in the theatre. Browsing through the records will provide any film enthusiast with plenty of information about the range of films screened here in the past century. A register is maintained, which gives information about the release dates of films like Hathimthai, Hunterwali , and many films featuring Prithviraj Kapoor. Descriptions about the weather conditions, mild comments about the quality of the film, publicity materials used, and interesting trivia are recorded in the book. For instance, one of the films has been described as "very dull", while another film has been termed as a "big bore". These films have obviously seen short runs compared to films, which were termed as "highly entertaining and full of commercial values." For many years, Elgin is screening only second and third run films because it has become economical for the theatre to take films on fixed rent basis. Earlier, only Hindi films were screened, though for the past few years Tamil films are also being shown in the morning slot. According to Krishnamurthy, except for

Yaadon Ki Baaraat , which ran for eight weeks in its second run, most of the films have run for not more than a week or two. "Though our theatre is small, we might have paid fifty or sixty times more than the original cost of the construction of the theatre to the State exchequer as entertainment tax in all these years," says Krishnamurthy.

Krishnamurthy says that they have not modernised the theatre because of some pending court cases. "Since the matter is subjudice, I cannot talk anything about it. God willing and with the blessings of elders, if the case turns out favourably, we would like to retain the same structure. We are not interested in taking advantage of the buildings increased real estate value. I dont know what will happen in the future, but we do not want to do anything that alters the original structure," he assures heritage-lovers.

As a young boy, Krishnamurthy used to visit the theatre along with his grandfather, Natesha Mudaliar, and father, Srinivasa Mudaliar. He recounts how in those days he would see people coming to the theatre in jatakas (horse carts that were used up to the late sixties in Bangalore) from neighbouring Sheshadripuram, Palace Guttahalli and even the Avenue Road areas. There was a separate ladies counter for obtaining tickets. Now, of course, there is only a single cubicle selling tickets. At present, the theatre attracts a number of Bihari masons, who are working in the construction business and Tamil workers in the periphery of Russel Market.

You can still watch a movie in Bangalore for Rs 16 Utopia in the age of multiplexes. R G Vijayasarathy takes you on a tour of the century-old Elgin Talkies, which retains its original structure and

Talkiesofthetown

nMaintenance charges have been increased over the y equipments brought seven decades ago is minimal. N were added in 2002. Every five years, the theatre colour wash, repair and replacement of seats.

nWhen it was converted into a talkie, Elgin had a s capacity has been reduced to 402 seats. At the be front seats and eight annas for back seats. Now, t row and Rs 16 for the 402 balcony seats.

nThe theatre screens two films daily. The morning s a Hindi or a Tamil film. The remaining three shows During the days of Srinivasa Mudaliar, Kannada fil