Of the cinema era gone by!

VK Anand

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Kiran cinema, an architectural marvel of Chandigarh, stands majestically in Sector 22 — geographically positioned precisely in the centre of the City Beautiful. More interesting is the fact that the cinema is situated exactly in the heart of Sector 22. The individuality of the building lies in the fact that though with the passage of time every structure in Chandigarh underwent drastic changes, this heritage site stands impressively in its original form.

Designed by Le Corbusier in early 1950s, the cinema used to be the only theatre of Chandigarh once. It is surrounded by sector’s markets, government quarters and an open space for public parking. Till late 1960s, the backside of Kiran Theatre was known as ‘Kebab Lane’ with scores of ‘mutton tikka’ and ‘kabab’ vendors.

This was the era when nobody had ever heard the word ‘advance booking’. A serpentine queue for tickets emerged one hour before the show. There were three categories of seats — front few rows were the cheapest (ten and half anna or 63 paise), back rows for Rs 1.25 and the balcony ticket rate was Rs 2.50.

Eatables were not prohibited in the hall, but enjoying a ‘papad’ during the interval which costed only six paisa had its own charm. Sipping Coca-Cola was restricted to only a few who could afford it.

Though, looks fantasy, but it is true that till late 1960s, there was neither car parking or scooter stand. In cycle stand behind the theatre, bicycles were huddled together. At the end of the show, retrieving one’s cycle was a Herculean Task.

The portrayal of Kian Cinema will be incomplete without the mention of ‘gaana (songs) booklets’ of different films. At the backside of the cinema, a pavement vendor selling such booklets for one anna (six paise) was a permanent feature. For any youngster, purchasing this booklet was a risky proposition, if spotted in your bag by parents, a guaranteed thrashing awaited you.