I am hoping something will be done in Kolkata to restore old theatres: Prosenjit

Kolkata's iconic Elite cinema dropped its curtain forever yesterday. Prosenjit Chatterjee, who has many memories attached to the

theatre

got to reminiscing about bygone days. He said, "When I was first allowed to watch films with friends, it was Esplanade that we would go to. Elite, Globe, Metro, New Empire were our regular haunts. My dadamoshai too would take me out on Sundays to show some good films. I remember watching Ben-Hurin Elite and Enter the Dragon in New Empire around 11 times. If I am not wrong,

Sholay

was also released in Elite, alongside Jyoti. Elite would primarily screen foreign films, sometimes in 3D formats. At a time when corporates are joining hands to restore heritage movie halls in Mumbai, I am hoping something will be done in Kolkata to restore the theatres with a retro feel. What Minerva and Star are to theatre, the Esplanade single screens are to movies. My film, Amar Sangi, ran for 75 weeks in Ujjala cinema and I was pained to see it turn into a market."