Fate of single screen theatres, Kalayan and Jyoti

Imagine waking up to shutters, the favourite neighbourhood Cineplex near your place closed. The feeling of never being able to sit and have fun with your family or friends, disappearing, as you see the Cineplex shut over many passing days. 

People in the era of 1990s experienced the same when various single screen theatres pulled down the shutters, never to run another show. The days became longer and the nights lost its charm, people doomed at the news of single screen’s closure.

Jyoti, a cineplax situated on the Delhi-UP border in Ghaziabad, is reminisced by many movie buffs for successfully playing movies like Sholay, Zanjeer, Jai Santoshi Maa and more. It happened to be one of the best single screen theatres of its time; Jyoti bragged top class facilities and thousand seats. The cinema hall was so popular that there used to be a special transport for people to come and watch at Jyoti. It was a well renowned hall visited by family, women and kids. Shows ran from nine in the morning till the very last show ending at twelve, night. The demand for tickets at Jyoti was so high, that hardly 50 tickets were sold and a house full sign used to hover. After which most of its tickets were seen to be sold in black. It is said that people used to pay enormous amount for the tickets at Jyoti.The accident of 1982, when balcony of the hall fell over the viewers, killing many, the clouds of doom spread its wings, and its decline started. Though the hall survived for another 8 years by show casing popular flicks, Jyoti closed in 1990.

So why did it go out of business, why did it close? The answers can only be left to wonder. Locals claim, many illegal, unspeakable and law defying activities took place in the once famous theatre. The staff that ran the theatre also earned a lot of money by exploiting the hall in all ways possible. The police was bribed and so the malpractices continued till one day, Jyoti closed forever.

Now, 25 years have passed since the theatre has been left to ruins. Its fate will be decided after the construction of metro from Dilshad Garden to the Ghaziabad route gets green signal. Plans to either construct a mall or nursing home is doing rounds till then.

A similar single screen theatre is Kalyan situated in Seelampur.  A 3km drive from Seelampur metro station; formed in 1976, the cinema hall used to entertain the hearts of many. The hall could seat a crowd of around 750 people at a time. Like most Cinema halls, Kalyan worked from nine in the morning to twelve at night. Films of Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra lured the audience to Kalyan and yet it were films like Jai Santoshi Maa and Sanyasi that broke all records.  Kalyan too was a prime theatre crowded with women and kids till B-grade movies started playing on the screen. The story has twists. One of the owner’s son claim that some people came to sell a B-grade movie to their theatre. The operator refused to play the movie but the people claimed themselves to be from government agencies and under pressure, the operator had to play the movie. The operator got trapped as the same people demanded bribe; threatened to report the incident and shut the hall. The owner refused to pay bribe and with time, the license got cancelled. After which the cinema was shut down at 16^th June, 2006. The land was sold and flats were built.

The locals claim otherwise; B-grade movies honed the halls, unpaid tax and dues led to cancellation of license. The owner sold the land as soon as the license got cancelled. 

The single screen theatres have now given way to Cineplex and multiplex which has more to offer to people than just movies. The surviving theatres are bidding their time to hit the nail at the right moment. With various development undertakings happening all over the capital, many lucrative opportunities await the owners to the various cinema halls; like Jyoti waiting for Delhi Metro to decide its fate.