கீற்றுக் கொட்டகை

[Russellisf]

THALAIVAR WATCHING MOVIE IN TOURING TALKIES ( EN ANNAN MOVIE SONG NEELA NERAM)

[Russellisf]

U ntil two decades ago, evenings in Madurai meant movies. The entire town would descend on the streets and head to the theatres. Watching films was a ritual in this small town where every lane has a temple and where every turn once had a theatre.

“In the 1990's there were 52 theatres in Madurai city, out of which only 24 are functioning now. Before the 70's, ‘touring talkies' was very popular, in the city as well as the rural areas,” says Rm. M. Annamalai, State President of Tamil Nadu Theatre Owner's Association, “Later talkies became cinemas, benches were replaced with seats and the pole and tents gave way to concrete structures.”

Built in the 1930's, the Imperial Cinema was probably the first theatre to come up in temple town and ironically also the first one to be demolished 15 years ago. “From 1970 to the early nineties, there was spurt in the theatre business. Cinema going was a part of everyday entertainment those days,” recalls Annamalai, “There is a set of thirteen theatres in Madurai that can be called the oldest. Many are either shut down or have been pulled down, but Central, Vellaikannu and Regal are still functioning.”

Trophies and shields celebrating landmarks – ‘Sakala Kala Vallavan 150', ‘Padikkathavan 100' and so on – still decorate the showcase of the Central Cinema. Dusting them with care, D. Sundaram, the proprietor, says, “I feel proud whenever I see these trophies. Central was one of the sought-after theatre among movie buffs. We used to screen only two films per year and now it is two films per week. Films running for 100 or 200 days have become a thing of the past.”

“People run these old-time theatres as it is a prestige issue. Only old films are screened and there are audiences even today who come to watch MGR and Sivaji,” says Annamalai, “MGR hits like “Ayirathil Oruvan”, “Arasilangumari”, “Padakotti” and “Adimai Penn” and Sivaji starrers like “Manohara”, “Parasakthi”, “Vietnam Veedu” and “Vasantha Maligai” are evergreen movies that still draw people to the theatres.”

“MGR continues to be a phenomenon among movie lovers and many acknowledge that Madurai was much instrumental in making him the demigod. Our theatre is alive just because of MGR films” says E.M.G.S. Pothirajan, proprietor of Meenakshi Talkies and Meenakshi Paradise.

“Cinema was a strong tool at that time. Movies played a vital role even in politics. It was because of cinema that the DMK grew during the sixties” says Muthu, an MGR fan and an auto driver.

S. Ramadoss, an operator at Central, says, “Working in a cinema theatre was a matter of pride. I was the operator at Imperial Cinema and now at Central. It has been 35 years and I have seen technology change over the years.” Ramadoss's close association with cinema theatres earned him a short role in the film ‘Subramaniapuram' as an operator. “The scene in “Subramaniapuram” where people are shown fighting for tickets for ‘Murattu Kaalai' is a depiction of real trend that was once prevalent in major theatres in Madurai. It shows the craze people had for movies those days,” adds Ramadoss.

The women of Madurai have been known as movie enthusiasts. On weekend mornings theatres witnessed a huge rush of housewives. Decked in gold and the bests of Kanjivaram, the women dragged along their kids and carried tins full of murukkus, cheedais and athirasams – all to spend those three hours in reel-world. “It was common to watch three to four movies a week. I used to prepare snacks the night before and it was great fun buying tickets in the rush and groping in the dark to locate the seats,” remembers homemaker Dhanalakshimi, now in her sixties. “Finding the seat gave you a sense of thrill and achievement.”

She adds, “Cinema halls were the place where we forgot ourselves. We smiled and cried with MGR and Sivaji, enjoyed songs of M.S. Viswanathan and K.V. Mahadevan, cursed villains like P.S.Veerappa and Nambiar, worshipped K.R.Vijaya and Savithri when they played Goddesses and laughed our hearts out at the comedy of K.R. Ramachandran, A. Karunanidhi, Thangavelu and Nagesh.” Devotional films like ‘Rajakaliamman' and ‘Amman' had a strong following of women and theatres were treated as temples during the screenings.

N.M. Sivanathan, former owner of Chintamani Talkies says, “In olden days, theatre owners enjoyed a personal rapport with the producers and artistes. The trend of demanding a huge sum of money as Minimum Guarantee has left theatre owners in the lurch. Running a cinema hall has become much difficult and less profitable.”

Sivanathan's son Dr. N.M.S. Prabbakar beams, “Madurai was always considered the hot spot for films. Producers and celebrities paid often visits to theatres to gauge the pulse of audience. Chintamani enjoyed numerous such star visits.”

“The discerning Madurai movie-goer was considered difficult to convince and hence the town's response was always taken into consideration to judge a film's success. It was widely believed that if a movie makes it in Madurai, it will definitely be successful in the state,” says Iyyapan, an old-time film enthusiast.

Says Annamalai: “The current trend is mini multiplexes with capacities of 200 to 300. Air-conditioning and advanced facilities like 3D and DTS lure the audience. Only 10 percent of the film-goers continue coming to the regular theatres out of which five percent are choosy both about the films and the facilities provided. People now watch a film only if it is exceptionally good.”

[Russellisf]

This is taken from Ananda Vikatan Pongal issue 2009.


It tells about the experience of viewing MGR movie in a village touring talkies. The people are not more than 50 (highest) but MGR movies only gives collection.

[Russellisf]

Mgr fans experience in thoothukudi sathya touring talkies screnned continuously 100 week mgr films

தூத்துக்குடியில் எம்ஜிஆர்.,படப்பெட்டியுடன் சைக்கிள் பேரணி: திரளான ரசிகர்கள் பங்கேற்பு

தூத்துக்குடி: தூத்துக்குடியில் எம்.ஜி .ஆர்.நடித்த படத்தின் படப்பெட்டி சைக்கிள் பேரணியாக தியேட்டருக்கு எடுத்து செல்லப்பட்டது. இதில் திரளான எம்.ஜி.ஆர் ரசிகர்கள் பங்கேற்றனர். “புரட்சித்தலைவர்’ என்று தமிழ்த்திரையுலக சினிமா ரசிகர்களால் அழைக்கப்பட்டுவரும், முன்னாள் முதல்வர் எம்.ஜி.ஆரின் திரைப்படத்திற்கு இன்றும் ரசிகர்கள் மத்தியில் நல்ல வரவேற்பு இருந்து வருகிறது. தூத்துக்குடியிலுள்ள சத்யா தியேட்டரில் வாரந்தோறும் ஞாயிற்றுக்கிழமை மட்டும் தவறாமல் எம்.ஜி.ஆர். நடித்த படம் திரையிடப்பட்டு வருகிறது.


இந்நிலையில் சத்யா தியேட்டரில் எம்.ஜி.ஆர் நடித்த படம் 99 வாரங்கள் தொடர்ந்து ஓடியதை தொடர்ந்து அவர் நடித்த “ஒளிவிளக்கு’ படத்தின் படப்பெட்டி தூத்துக்குடி நகர எம்.ஜி.ஆர்.மன்றத்தின் சார்பில் யானை மீது வைத்து சைக்கிள் பேரணியாக தியேட்டருக்கு எடுத்துசெல்லப்பட்டது. தூத்துக்குடி குரூஸ்பர்னாந்து சிலையில் இருந்து ஆட்டம்-பாட்டத்துடன் துவங்கிய சைக்கிள் பேரணிக்கு தூத்துக்குடி நகர எம்.ஜி.ஆர்.மன்ற செயலாளர் ஏசாதுரை தலைமை வகித்தார். சைக்கிள் பேரணி எட்டயபுரம் ரோடு, கீழரெங்கநாதபுரம், வடக்குரத வீதி, 2ம் ரயில்வே கேட் மற்றும் நகரின் முக்கிய வீதிகள் வழியாக சென்று முடிவில் சத்யா தியேட்டரை சென்று அடைந்தது.


சைக்கிள் பேரணியில் வக்கீல்அணி துணைசெயலாளர் நட்டர்ஜி, மாணவரணி துணைசெயலாளர் சரவணகுமார், வட்ட செயலாளர் பெரியசாமி, திருமூர்த்தி, மாநகராட்சி கவுன்சிலர் வீரபாகு, மாநில எம்.ஜி.ஆர்.சமூகநல பேரவை தலைவர் நாராயணன், டைரக்டர் நீலகண்டன், மாவட்ட இலக்கிய அணி செயலாளர் நடராஜன், மாநில அமைப்புசாரா தொழிற்சங்க இணை செயலாளர் பெருமாள்சாமி, ஜெபராஜ், செல்லப்பா, மகேஷ்குமார், சைக்கிள் ரிக்ஷா தொழிலாளர்கள், கைவண்டித் தொழிலாளர்கள் மற்றும் எம்.ஜி.ஆர்.ரசிகர்கள் உட்பட பலர் திரளாக கலந்துகொண்டனர்.

[Russellisf]

FULL SONGS TAKEN IN OPERATOR ROOM FILM VEYIL

[Scottkaz]

வேலூர் தொரப்பாடி கணேஷ் அரங்கம் 96 வது மக்கள்திலகம் பிறந்தநாள் விழா

என்று எங்கள் குலதெய்வம் எம்ஜிஆர்

[gkrishna]

ஸ்ரீரங்கம் ரங்கராஜா திரை அரங்கு .இப்போது இயங்குகிறதா என்று தெரியவில்லை

[gkrishna]

srirangam devi thirai arangu



ஸ்ரீரங்கத்து தேவதைகள் என்று எழுத்தாளர் சுஜாதா அவர்கள் எழுதிய சிறுகதை தொகுப்பில் இந்த தேவி திரை அரங்கை பற்றி நிறைய எழுதி இருப்பார்

[gkrishna]

Children walk past the tent of Anup Touring Talkies traveling cinema at Shikhar Shingnapur, about 350km south of Mumbai.
புனே யில் இருந்து ஷிரிடி (சாய்பாபா ) கோயிலுக்கு செல்லும் வழியில் உள்ளது என்று நினைவு இந்த ஊர் .சனீச்வரன் கோயிலுக்கு புகழ் பெற்ற ஊர்

[gkrishna]

India's reels on wheels facing the end of the road


Two attendants sit at the entrance to traveling talkie cinema tents in the village of Ond, south of Mumbai, India.

Reuters photographer Danish Siddiqui reports on India's traveling cinema industry:

OND, India, Feb 16 - The sleepy village of Ond comes alive for a week every year when trucks loaded with tents and projectors reach its outskirts.

The tents are pitched in open fields, converting the trucks into projection rooms for screening the latest Indian blockbusters to exuberant villagers, who otherwise have few chances to see a film at all.

But now, this decades-old tradition known as the "talkie" is under threat in the face of cable television and a flood of pirated CDs and DVDs.


A truck used as a makeshift projection room is pictured in the village of Ond.

"People used to like touring cinemas a lot, but after these new modes of entertainment only about 10 percent of the people come here to watch films," said Anup Chadha, the owner of Anup Talkies, one such company.

Anup, 31, inherited the firm from his father, who started in the era of black and white and ran the company for 40 years.

In Ond, some 350 km (218 miles) south of Mumbai, India's cinema capital and home to its Bollywood film industry, three different companies of touring talkies show films of different genres, in a bid to attract as much of an audience as they can.

Each company runs five shows of three hours each, with the last film show ending at three in the morning. Tickets cost less than half a dollar, about 15 to 20 Indian rupees.


A man adjusts a film reel in a makeshift travelling talkie projection room set up on the back of a truck in the village of Ond.

The shows are packed with people of all ages, who stare raptly at the films as they are shown. Children jump and clap along with the scenes, although some lie down in their parents' laps as the hour grows late, eyes still fixed on the film.

For women, who often have few chances to leave the four walls of their homes, it is an eagerly awaited outing. Dressed in bright saris, they queue at ticket counters for what is one of their only forms of entertainment.

Despite this, though, the threat to the "tambu" - tent talkies -- looms larger every year.

"There were around 50 such tambu talkies in Satara district 10 years ago, but today only seven or eight are left," said Jaywant Thorat, 45, the owner of Ayodhya Talkies.

"We are running these theatres just because of our passion for it. If we shut down our tambu cinemas, regional cinema will find no audience since they don't show these films at multiplexes in the city," he added, referring to the fact that local language films are also shown.


Villagers sit inside a travelling talkie tent to watch a movie in the village of Ond.

Not all the owners are giving up without a fight.

Some have devised new marketing strategies, such as distributing packets of shampoo and pocket-sized pictures of film actresses with the tickets, but the money from this is small.

Anup Chadha forecasts that touring talkies will be extinct within five years if the government doesn't step in.

"Sometimes I want to shut down this business but there are so many people associated with this talkie that I hang on for them," he said.

If that happens, the only cinema available to people in the villages may come from local devotees such as Suresh, a farmer who is also the owner of Akshay Talkies and has converted a vintage truck to a projector room, using a tractor to pull it.

"We can't afford to go to watch a film in a theatre, especially with the nearest town being 70 km (43.50 miles) away from here," said Vikas Shinde, a farmer who waited eagerly at the counter to grab his ticket.

"These talkies are just 100 metres away from my house."


A man walks near posters advertising movies playing inside travelling talkie tents in the village of Ond.