BANGALORE TALKIES
Bangalore once had the largest concentration of independent movie theatres or ‘talkies’ anywhere in India. Cinema was the foremost pastime for the public and the importance of theatres in the local landscape is evidenced by the fact that many theatres serve as local landmarks in everyday vernacular, even those that have long been demolished.
Bangalore’s diverse population was historically spatially organised and the language in which theatres screened movies depended on their location. For instance, the Cantonment area with its colonial association was where you would go to watch Hollywood movies. While economic consideration have diluted the rigidity, talkies on K.G. road, where there were once over 50 theatres, continue to serve as social and cultural spaces and have a historic connection with Kannada linguistic identity and expression.
Since the heyday, the fortunes of ‘Talkies’ have seen a considerable decline. The rise of other forms of public entertainment like cable television and cricket that accompanied the upward mobility of the middle and lower-middle classes in the 1990’s hit talkies hard. Gentrification in the contemporary Indian urban landscape means talkies are giving way to gated residential communities, shopping complexes or multiplex cinemas at an unprecedented pace.
Skyrocketing real estate prices in Bangalore have tempted many owners to cash-out handsomely in a failing business where the disparity between the value of their assets and quantum of returns is huge. Average ticket sales at most talkies is only 15% of their seating capacity. Those owners that resist the temptation of divesting their business do so purely out of nostalgia related to a family enterprise and find it hard to justify any more investment in the theatres to improve facilities like sound systems, seating etc.
The decline in talkies has corresponded with a decline in the quality of movies made in ‘Sandalwood’- the Kannada film industry. A string of ‘mass entertainers’ that lack nuance and technical finesse alienated the educated elite from Kannada cinema who react with derision to the ‘low-brow’ storylines. Theatres that exclusively screen Kannada movies have especially suffered because of this, the number of theatres on the aforementioned K.G. road now stands at under ten.
Despite the obituaries, single screens are still critical to a movie’s success, especially in smaller towns and villages. A majority of screens in India are still housed in talkies and movie producers/distributors are mindful of this audience. Even urban single screen theatre owners are trying to find innovative ways, including screenings in multiple languages, to diversify their audience and pull in more numbers. While the prognosis is still dire, there is no cause to sound the death knell for talkies just yet.
It was hard not to succumb to nostalgia while shooting talkies. They provide a unique cinematic experience in the larger socio-cultural context. The anachronistic and uniquely Indian cocktail of architectural style is a relief from the the sterile and interchangeable spaces in multiplexes. While current talkies are predominantly patronised by the working classes in urban India, the closure of Rex theatre, considered an iconic landmark in Bangalore, was an emotional moment that resonated with many across age and class barriers, many lamented the loss of a link to an old-world culture and a collective feeling of community that few edifices/institutions inspire.
An excerpt of this work was published in the Mint Lounge on 10th August, 2019. You can read the piece here
‘Silver screen stories’ a conversation between cultural theorist Prof. SV Srinivas and I, where we talk about the relevance of these iconic spaces in the city – their role in sustaining a prevailing cinema culture, as public spaces and more. The event was hosted by The Museum of Art and Photography, Bangalore.
WORKERS
TRANSCRIPT OF INTERVIEW WITH K.C.N. MOHAN, PROPRIETOR OF NAVRANG THEATRE
S : Could you introduce yourself ?
M : I am KCN Mohan, son of KCN Gowda –the founder of this theatre. My father was in the textile business. When he came across an ad that a civic site was for sale in Bangalore, he came and participated in the auction. At that time (1963) the entire Kannada film industry was controlled by Gujarati families and they were also participating in the auction. Ultimately, my father won the auction but the same night, the Gujaratis offered him double the price that he had bid earlier for the civic site. That got him thinking about the film field and he refused their offer.
He started constructing Navrang theatre after visiting a lot of theatres across India, he zeroed in on an architect called Mr. Vincent Isaac – the chief engineer of Tamil Nadu, originally from Australia. He gave us the design and my father started constructing around 1964. The theatre was complete in 2 years. He named the theatre ‘Navrang’ because he dreamt of screening color films in a black and white era – Navrang means nine colours.
In the beginning this neighbourhood – Rajaji nagar - was not very developed – my father struggled to feed the theatre. He became a distributor and started buying movies - particularly Tamil to screen in Navrang. At the time there was no transportation from Bangalore city bus stand on K.G road, Majestic to Rajaji Nagar so he would have a bus that was stationed in majestic circle and at the showtimes of Navrang theatre and he would offer transport, back and forth, free of cost to his patrons.
That was the base on which Navrang was built. It soon became a very popular theatre enabling my father to venture into movie distribution and production. The rest is history, it has now become one of the most iconic theatres in Karnataka. We used to be so popular that distributors often used to fight with each other to screen their movies in our theatre – often they would end up in the police station to mediate a settlement. This was the golden period of Navrang.
A pencil sketch of Navrang theatre in ‘A guide-book of Bangalore’ by publishers Parthasarathy & co. from 1963.
The screen of Navrang theatre during it’s renovation.
After T.V. and multiplexes people thought it would be the end of single screens but despite these developments single screens are still popular. There is no question of single screens getting wiped out, after all single screens have their own audience. Multiplexes cater to the so called ‘higher classes’ while we have our own ‘regular family’ people visiting single-screens even today.
Now, the theatre has crossed 50 years – we are planning to renovate the theatre. Earlier, it was a challenge to have more number of seats - now people care more about comforts, leisure and luxury. So we are doing up our seats to the standards of multiplexes and are also improving the A.C. , projection systems – 4k with atmos sound , acoustic walls and beautification of the entire theatre. We hope to complete in one or two months and Navrang will be ready to serve the people very shortly.
S : What are the changes you have observed in your 30 years in charge of Navrang ?
M : In the earlier days, making movies was a difficult and time intensive enterprise. Directors had to work with senior artists for almost 10 years and would venture into making movies. These days anyone with a bit of computer knowledge can make a movie.
Technology has made a difference. As a production assistant, I remember standing outside holding reflectors and waiting for the sun. Now we can shoot on a cloudy day because of improvements in cameras. On the flip-side, the quality of movies has definitely come down. Production used to take time earlier and directors made good films that could be categorised into different genres - family, ladies, mass, comedy etc. These days there is no genre as there is a bit of everything in most movies.
Color film was not available so easily back then, it was actually rationed by the government since it was imported. We had to make an application for color film to the government stating the length of our film. Since it was strictly rationed and you almost never got as much as you asked for. If we asked for 15 rolls of film, they used to give us 10-12 rolls of film. That is why you would see black and white movies with only one song sequence in color.
Poster for Sharapanjara, 1971. An award winning film dealing with mental illness and societal mores around a woman’s chastity.
S: You mentioned that your father also produced some movies, which is your favourite ?
M : One source of pride for me is that my father produced the movie Sharapanjara (1971) – it was one of the first Kannada color movie on social issues with a female protagonist. It was very successful, a super-hit movie. Kalpana was the heroine and the hero was a beginner - Mr. Gangadhar. It was directed by the legendary Puttana Kanakan.
S : How did things change for single screens after the industry shifted from film to digital ?
M : People embraced digital because it is cost effective. Every film print used to cost INR 70,000-80,000. They would release 12-13 prints for the whole state of Karnataka and the shelf – life of this film was 3 years. Each print weighed around 50 kilos and transportation would have to be arranged between theatres and towns. The films would be screened first in A centers then B centers and so on. With digital, the films release simultaneously in cities and villages. The distributors also rented out digital projectors to us at very attractive rates making it easy for us to make the switch.
S : Since you are renovating you are obviously hopeful but what is the long term future for single screen ?
M : Whichever the theatre – single screens are not economically viable. This theatre is standing on 30,000 sq ft of land – market value of INR 750,000,000. If I sell the theatre, I can comfortably live off the interest. While running the theatre, I am not even getting 10 % of my investment – there is big disparity between asset value and returns. But still I’m not keen on selling. This is my father’s first project and I don’t want to spoil it - atleast in my days.