Death of single screen theatres and a viewing culture
Their decline is not just about outdated infrastructure, but also about how entertainment itself has become a solitary habit, dressed up as luxury
Updated At : 06:03 AM Jul 18, 2025 IST
Change might be inevitable, but at what cost? Photos: Niyati Vira
It’s August 1994, raining cats and dogs. As people rush home to avoid the floods, Tilak cinema in the small town of Dombivli in Maharashtra is overflowing with Bollywood buffs, swaying to the tunes of ‘Didi Tera Dewar Deewana’ from the blockbuster ‘Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!’ They don’t mind if the show is houseful and they have to sit on wooden benches in front of the actual seat. They don’t mind the water seeping into the theater because of the rain. Tonight, the theatre isn’t just a shelter from the storm: it is a celebration, a community, a kind of magic only single screens could create.
