Punjab's first cinema hall breathes its last after 110 yrs

On June 15, 1915, when Mahna Singh Naggi, a wealthy contractor from Lullan village, near Jandiala Guru, opened Punjab’s first cinema hall and named it Crown Cinema, with the British Union Jack waving on top, it was a symbol of the colonial grandeur and European aesthetics. With its grand Victorian style architecture, the European arches and arcaded balconies reminded one of the other colonial era buildings like the Town Hall (now Partition Museum). It stood out then as it does now, as a striking example of early cinema architecture in Punjab—melding colonial-style civic aesthetics, functional hall design and urban integration. The opening was quite an affair, with 2,000 light bulbs shining bright, a star musical band performance and a golden key unlocking the doors for imperial and elite guests.

110 years later, the same building, now known as Chitra Cinema, is silently going under. Chitra Talkies, as it came to be known post-Partition, stood tall over the years even as urbanisation and com

mercialisation swept across its neighbourhood. In essence, Chitra Talkies is more than just an old movie hall—it’s a cultural landmark entwined with Amritsar’s colonial, pre Partition and cinematic legacy. One that is now breathing its last!

As the cinema hall space goes down for re-development, each brick that falls has a story to tell. “Each brick that was used to build the structure of Chitra Talkies had the initials MS inscribed on it, a signature of its patron and owner Mahna Singh, whose ambitions gave life to the oldest cinema in Punjab,” said Surinder Kochar, a historian from the city.

Mahna bought the land Chitra Talkies was built on for Rs 23,000. He had long been in association with Jamshedji Framji Madan, a Parsi entrepreneur, who built the country’s first cinema hall and later ran operations at Chitra Talkies. It was a never-before seen architectural spectacle at the time, with a two store gallery, a seating capacity of 2,000 and several rooms to accommodate actors. The building has both Indian and Western elements of architecture. A hotel and restaurant was also built within the premises, it soon became an elitist hang out point for Amritsar’s who’s who. But its purpose was not that.

“When Mahna Singh built the place, going to watch cinema was not a popular tradition in Amritsar. It was a mecca of theatre and poetry, so, people were interested more in live drama and mushairas. Realising that only screening silent films will not bring in profits, Mahna opened the stage for hosting live plays and literary sessions,” said Surinder. Its proximity to the Hall Gate/Gandhi Gate, meant easy access for residents. Soon, the likes of Sadat Hasan Manto, Farida Khanum, Shamshad Begum had performances here, which brought in the crowd. That’s when it became an epicentre of cultural activity in the pre-Partition period.

After the Partition, the cinema hall hosted shows of several popular films, including Ram Rajya, Devdas and even Nanak Naam Jahaz Hai. “I remember as a kid, my first trip to Chitra Cinema was to watch the film Nanak Naam Jahaz Hai. We bought the ticket for one rupee at the time and jostled our way to the main hall as there was a huge crowd. During popular film screenings, the cinema hall had a packed house with two balconies full of people and the rest of us were made to sit on the ground near the screen. Later, they had chairs arranged. Going to watch a film at Chitra used to be such a special affair,” shared Subhash Sehgal, 73, an old timer from the walled city. Like Subhash, several from his generation have fond memories of their outings to Chitra Talkies.

But the current generation has only seen the once mighty building slowly giving away, owing to apathy and a lack of vision for its revival. After the death of Mahna Singh, some new shareholders were added to its ownership but over the years, the building lies abandoned, dilapidated was even tagged ‘haunted’. Now, Chitra Talkies bids a silent farewell.