Swansong Soon for Talkie Show House?

RBN Web Desk: Following its equally illustrious peers like Elite, Globe, Metro and others, Talkie Show House, one of the most prominent single screen theatres in north Kolkata, may down shutters in the near future. Revenues from film shows are down to the minimum.

Talkie Show House owner Nirmal Dey told the media, on 29 August, Raja Chanda’s film Sultan, starring Jeet, Priyanka Sarkar, and BIdya Sinha Mim, attracted only 13, 23, and 13 viewers in the noon, matinee, and evening shows respectively. The night show at the 634-seater theatre was cancelled because of no bookings at all. The salaries of all his staff are due for the past two months.  Even the crowd that came to his hall to watch new Hindi films, are no more enthusiastic to watch them in a single-screen theatre, Dey added.

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Talkie Show House, a landmark building in the Shyambazar area, opened its doors in 1930. Across to Singapore, directed by William Nigh, was the first film to be screened at the theatre. With the advent of talkies, the hall was rechristened as Talkie Show House, and was a premier destination for watching films in Kolkata.

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Dey alleged that distributors are biased against single-screen theatres and are not keen to screen new releases in such halls. That aside, inability to offer the comfort and convenience of a multiplex and more recently, access to on-demand digital entertainment on smartphones, have further reduced footfalls in his hall, said the owner of eastern India’s oldest running single-screen theatre.

Image: Nandita Raman