Last show over: Delhi's iconic Regal cinema to down curtains

Several single-screen theaters including Lokesh, Vishal, Golcha, Supreme, Samrat and Aakash Cinema closed down in recent times.

The closing down of New Delhi's Regal cinema brings to the end an era of iconic movie halls in Connaught Place, the heart of Lutyen's Delhi. The 84-year old cinema hall, which will bring down its curtains on March 31, is one of the last single screen halls to shut shop in CP.

Other historic cinema halls in heart of Delhi were Rivoli, Plaza and Odeon, all of which have now become multiplexes. A matinee show at the Regal and a stroll down the outer circle to have milk shakes at the Keventer's is something a Delhite would never forget.

There was a time when popular eating joints like Madras Hotel and Standard Restaurant were within 5-minutes of walk from Regal. Both these places have closed down in the past decade.

Ever since Delhi opened its gates for PVRs in 1997, the number of visitors to single-screen theaters began dwindling. Several single-screen theaters including Lokesh, Vishal, Golcha, Supreme, Samrat and Aakash Cinema closed down in recent times.

Built in 1932, the Regal is said to be Raj Kapoor's favourite cinema hall, as several of his movies like Mera Naam Joker and Sangam ran for months here in heart of the national capital.

Here are some of oldest halls in Delhi and Kolkata finding it hard to survive due to multiplex assault:

Pride of Connaught Place

Regal cinema, Connaught Place's first theatre, was opened in 1932. It was built by Sir Sobha Singh and designed by Walter Sykes George.

CP's outer circle and Regal

Regal also hosted Western Classical music artists, Russian ballet and British theatre groups, and soon started morning and afternoon movie shows. The next theatre to be built was the Plaza in 1940, designed by Sir Rober Tor Russell, the architect of Connaught Place itself. It was owned by director and actor Sohrab Modi until the early 1950s.

The Odeon was built in 1945 and had the city's second 70mm screen after the "Shiela Cinema" in Paharganj.

Delite cinema in Daryaganj

Delite Cinema was opened on April 30, 1954 as the tallest building of the town on the most expensive piece of land sold in Delhi per Sq. Yard. The Cinema when opened was the first state of the art air-conditioned cinema of Delhi.

Delite's box office

A view of the box office of Delight Cinema in New Delhi. Cinema Halls and theatres are facing big challenges due to advent of multiplxes and new technologies.

Iconic Elite cinema hall in Kolkata

Originally opened prior to 1915 as the Palace of Varieties. In 1938, it was re-named Elite Cinema.

It was re-modeled in an Art Deco style to the plans of British architect M.A. Riddley Abbott, and completed in 1948 by local architect John Berchmans Fernandes following the death of Ridley Abbott.

(Pics credit - PTI)

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