Oh No! Mumbai’s Chitra Cinema to shut down – deets inside

After the news of RK Studios shutting down permanently, another integral chapter of Hindi cinema will also be shutting down. Yes, Dadar’s Chitra cinema, one of the city’s first AC theatres, will stop operations today after seven decades of functioning. Almost after 36 years since it ran to a packed house for days when Jackie Shroff’s Hero released in 1983, it will open its auditorium doors for the final time today to screen his son Tiger Shroff’s Student Of The Year 2. Sadly, it will be curtains for the 550-seater Chitra Cinema.

Third generation owner and current proprietor Dara Mehta blames poor business as the primary reason for the shutdown. According to a news report, he said, “Single screens are hardly doing any business today. While weekends would witness good footfalls, we would hardly have any patrons on weekdays. We haven’t yet decided whether it will be given for redevelopment or let out to a multiplex chain.”

“We have always kept up with technology. We renovated the theatre around 20 years ago, and recently again in 2014. But today, online streaming platforms have affected our business, too. Earlier, movies were the only source of entertainment. Now, people have countless options on OTT platforms,” added the owner.

Well, this sure is sad news for all of us, especially the generation that grew up watching the films of their favourite stars in single-screen theatres like the Chitra Cinema. Sigh, end of an era!