At Shakuntalam, movies beamed from Mumbai

NEW DELHI: The familiar whirring of 8 mm film reel, cracked leather seats and peanuts spilled all over the floor - such age-old paraphernalia for watching movies seem to have disappeared from one of their last bastions - Shakuntalam theatre in Pragati Maidan. With a new screen and plush push-back chairs, the theatre is one of the first in the city to get a UFO projection system where movies are beamed directly from Mumbai.Coupled with digital sound, the theatre now provides movie-goers with a whole new experience altogether.
"Previously, we had an old Russian projector with those heavy reels of film and every 15-20 days its bulbs would stop working," says Safdar Khan senior general manager of Indian Trade Promotion Oragnisation. "With the new UFO (United Film Organisation) system, we can just book the films in Mumbai and receive them directly via satellite. The film is then loaded on the server and projected on the screen. The new technology ensures better picture quality and better sound. We have also installed digital sound."
The new equipment would need less people to man it and some of the staff at the theatre would probably be reduced, says Khan. Apart from the technology, a new screen has also been installed in the movie theatre, the old chairs have been replaced with larger push-back chairs and the carpet has been changed. The canteen and surrounding areas have also undergone a facelift. Ticket rates have now been hiked to Rs 70 and Rs 90 from the previous Rs 55 and Rs 65 respectively. Movie timings have now been changed to 12-3 pm, 3-6 pm and 6-9 pm.
Built in 1972, the theatre hall was initially used for events like conferences or dance performances. It started screening films regularly from 1981, when tickets were sold at Rs 2 and Rs 3. The theatre was known for screening art films and attracted a large number of students from the National School of Drama nearby, as well as government officials and dignitaries. Over the years, however, more and more commercial films have been screened at the venue.
Despite the lure of PVRs, some have remained faithful to Shakuntalam theatre. Raj Mehra, who lives in Karol Bagh, has been coming to watch movies every Sunday since 1981. He always sits in seat number A-7, which, he corrects one, has changed to seat number A-5 after renovation.
"I used to come here to see the exhibitions but soon realised that there was no place in Delhi which screened art films," Mehra reminisces. "We went to the ITPO office and asked them to screen art films. Since then, I've come every Sunday, sometimes with friends and family but mostly alone."
Mehra recalls a time when the hall would always be housefull because it screened popular commercial movies at low rates. "For Rs 5-7, entire families would come to watch the movies. Initially, the crowd mainly comprised artists, who then gave way to families and now the bulk of the people who come to watch are school and college students," he says. Mehra's sojourns to Shakuntalam have been somewhat curtailed in recent years, however. "I used to watch two movies every Sunday - one English and one Hindi. Now, they���ve practically stopped screening English movies," he rues.
ipsita.chakravarty@timesgroup.com