An enduring edifice for cinema

THERE WAS a time when going to a cinema was an experience in itself. There was so much in the cinema theatre itself that one could not help but look around at the history captured in pictures and wonder about the world that was.

Not many cinemas from the `good-old times' remain. Shanthi cinema is one such. Caught in what seemed like a time warp, the cinema is the last remaining of old classic movie houses in Chennai. When all the others - Paragon, Anurag, Sun and many more fell to the builders' blows.

People who managed the theatre remember how the thespian, Sivaji Ganesan, who owned the place, refused to make it modern in the manner in which the others nearby went about. Technology infusion was fine, but bringing down the grand cinema was a strict no-no for him.

``Sivaji bought it from Umapathy and Shanmuga Raja, the people who owned the Anand cinema,'' recalls Mr. Narasimhan, manager, Shanthi. The foundation stone for the cinema was laid on February 9, 1959 by C. Subramaniam, who was then a Minister in Tamil Nadu. ``Sivaji cared for the cinema and would drop in when he could,'' says Mr. Narasimhan, who has been managing the cinema for more than a decade.

That was more like him, say some who knew him. They point to the gleaming car waiting in his huge shed, a Plymouth, literally straight out of history. Sivaji insisted that the car be maintained and so it was.

Much like this, the huge cinema - among the mammoths in the city with a capacity of 1224 seats - was air-conditioned and later the `DTS' sound system was added. The entire interiors got redone, but outside, the facade remained - that of an old cinema clinging on to its old world image; changing though reluctantly, to keep pace with changes in technology and the demands of a new generation. The cinema was not just for the movies, it was also a celebration of the actor, believed Sivaji. True enough, walls of the cinema abound with photos of Sivaji and his actor-son Prabhu, and also the various awards and citations that Sivaji won.

One set of photographs of particular interest is Sivaji's visit to the U.S. He was in Texas in the days when Indians were not generally known to venture south of D.C. In one photograph, he is shown admiring an American Quarter Horse at the Texas Agricultural and Mechanical College. Later, he judged a Livestock contest at the same venue.

Another aspect of Sivaji that comes out through the photographs is that of an actor who would impulsively congratulate a good performance when he saw one. He did this at Broadway. After watching `how to succeed in business without really trying,' the actor went backstage to tell two of the main characters - Robert Morse and Rudy Vallec - how much he enjoyed the show.

Later, in the same tour, American Indians in Arizona, attired in traditional gear, welcomed India's accomplished actor - right at the tarmac!

By R.K. Radhakrishnan

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