When a single-screen cinema hall had its own profile

Somewhat underneath 20 years after its launch, Meena Kumari’s  Bahu Begum continued to run to heat response within the morning reveals at cinemas in Delhi. Delhi’s Jagat cinema first confirmed the movie within the late Seventies, then had plenty of repeat screenings within the early Eighties. Virtually all the time, the movie did good enterprise. Such was the movie’s abiding affair with Jagat’s morning slot that its placards and leaflets caught within the corridor’s gallery had begun to fade. Meena Kumari’s legion of followers didn’t thoughts as, week after week, they turned as much as watch the tragedy queen of Hindi cinema. Greater than a decade after Meena Kumari handed away, her followers continued to throng Jagat, typically discovering themselves singing, “ Hum intezar karenge tera qayamat tak”, a success tune from the movie first launched in 1967.

Additionally learn: BLAST FROM THE PAST | The abiding enigma

In an business which tends to pay inordinate obeisance to its main males, Meena Kumari’s case was a uncommon exception. Within the Walled Metropolis of Delhi, her movies performed at Jagat. It was the corridor that confirmed Kamal Amrohi’s  Pakeezah, the 1972  movie that entered the report books of Hindi cinema after the information of Meena Kumari’s dying quickly after its launch. It was additionally the corridor that confirmed Meena Kumari’s  Phool aur Patthar (1966). The O.P. Ralhan movie accomplished a silver jubilee. 

Meena Kumari’s go to

It was frequent for the movie’s hero and heroine to go to cinema halls on the event of a movie’s silver or golden jubilee; in these days movies stayed on cinema screens lengthy sufficient that their destiny was not selected the primary weekend. When Meena Kumari got here to Jagat, information unfold like wildfire. Virtually everyone needed to see her, hear her. The actor’s automotive might make no headway from Daryaganj to the cinema positioned not removed from the historic Jama Masjid. Not one to disappoint her followers, Meena Kumari walked right down to the corridor, waving to followers, signing a couple of autographs and agreeing to be photographed on the cinema’s reception.

The Raj Kapoor circuit

What Jagat was to Meena Kumari, the grand previous Regal was to Raj Kapoor, a person who for 20 years couldn’t put a foot flawed till he determined to helm  Mera Naam Joker (1970). Each time a Raj Kapoor movie could be launched in Delhi, the vastly fashionable actor would comply with a transparent template. The movie would open at Regal in Connaught Place apart from Moti and West Finish in Outdated Delhi. Kapoor would arrive at Regal for the primary day, first present of his movie. At Regal, the movie would begin early, round midday. He would go to the corridor, wave to his followers, say a couple of phrases and go proper again into his ready yellow Ambassador to drive to Moti cinema in Chandni Chowk. He would arrive at Moti along with his entourage, typically Okay.A. Abbas, Shankar-Jaikishan, Hasrat Jaipuri and Radhu Karmakar. Right here the movie began round 12.30 p.m. Virtually all his movies performed at Moti, starting from  Barsaat in 1949,  Awaara in 1951,  Jagte Raho in 1956 to  Sangam in 1964 and  Mera Naam Joker in 1970. 

Dilip Kumar at Golcha

If Kapoor was related to specific halls for his movies, Dilip Kumar was too. His movies would open at Golcha and Novelty apart from Plaza. The print of Okay. Asif’s magnum opus  Mughal-e-Azam, starring Dilip Kumar and Madhubala with Prithviraj Kapoor, arrived on an elephant’s again at Novelty in 1960. It was the director’s means of giving a royal really feel to the viewers in regards to the movie began  over 14 years earlier. When the movie’s color model was launched many years later, Golcha was as soon as once more chosen because the corridor for its first present.

Meena Kumari, the tragedy queen

Even in repeat runs, Kumar’s movies have been screened in sure halls, equivalent to Excelsior within the Walled Metropolis. Be it  Madhumati (1958) or  Chief (1964) or  Ram aur Shyam (1967), Excelsior performed all of them, some within the day by day 4 reveals, others in morning reveals alone. Ever 12 months Excelsior used to have a pageant of Dilip Kumar’s movies with movies modified day by day. Again within the Eighties,  Vidhaata,  Mashaal,  Duniya,  Shakti, and many others have been all screened as a part of a pageant of his movies. For a low-profile corridor, it was a masterstroke, one which introduced no less than some discerning audiences to the corridor which was in any other case well-known for its creaky seats and  bread pakore and tea distributors promoting their stuff contained in the auditorium throughout a movie’s screening. In reality, with their earthy methods and talent to strike a fast discount, the distributors gave Excelsior a singular identification, to not neglect the truth that nearly all by the 12 months, Excelsior performed a Dilip Kumar movie within the morning present. That’s not all. The movie which performed at Excelsior’s morning present one week could be transferred to West Finish the subsequent, ensuring that Kumar’s followers didn’t miss out on his movie.

Ticket on the wrist

Away from the star fixation of most upmarket halls in Delhi was Robin cinema in Sabzi Mandi. It seemed so tiny from the principle street that if you happen to walked by briskly, you possibly can miss it. It catered to followers of Shatrughan Sinha and Mithun Chakraborty. It issued no tickets. There was no advance reserving. A couple of minutes earlier than the screening, folks would queue up on the ticket window. They might pay for the movie however no ticket could be issued. As an alternative a person would stamp their wrists. This gave them the appropriate of admission for the movie. Most individuals within the viewers have been immigrant employees who had left their households at residence to eke out a residing on the imply streets of Delhi.

Prime Ministers too

It was not simply actors, even Prime Ministers and the President have been related to specific cinema halls. Jawaharlal Nehru most popular Regal and Sudarshan, then known as Mohini; Indira Gandhi went to Shiela; and Rajendra Prasad to Delite. 

Not like immediately’s multiplexes the place a  Brahmastra can play at each multiplex on the identical time, within the good previous days of single-screen cinemas, movie distribution and exhibition was a craft honed over the ages. Every cinema had its identification, every banner and star recognized with a corridor.