Single-screens, Part II

Multiplexes have challenged their existence, but several single-screen theatres in Mumbai have taken this as an opportunity to reinvent themselves

The new coat of paint on Kalbadevi's Edward Talkies seems to stand more for resilience than redecoration. Despite making losses of nearly Rs 1 lakh per month after multiplexes arrived on the scene, the 19th century single-screen cinema, which usually plays kitschy Hindi films for working class audiences, has stayed in business. More recently, however, a new breed of visitors has started ambling through its cast-iron gates - one that dresses sloppily by choice.

Two weeks ago, for instance, an electro-jazz performance by the Swiss Arts Council was enjoyed here by a packed house of music enthusiasts, armed with cigarettes and drinks. A multimedia show by British group Light Surgeons was held last year and even earlier, Edward screened foreign films, including Breathless and Goodbye, Lenin, as part of a festival. "We are on the verge of making it a place for new-age films, plays, musical performances and corporate events," says proprietor Fred Poonawala. The 500-seater aspires to be a low-cost alternative to National Centre for the Performing Arts's experimental theatre.

In the last two decades, the number of single-screen cinemas in Maharashtra has nearly halved from 1,200 to 650. That is owing to the pressure of increased competition and a profit-sapping entertainment tax of 45 per cent. But of late, cinemas such as Liberty, Deepak and Chandan have looked beyond simply playing films to virtually empty halls. "With DVDs and Internet, the age of cinema-going is over. Now people want to attend events and socialise," reasons Sanjay, manager at Edward Talkies.

"If you want a catchy title for a story, you could call this business 'sin'-ema," quips Punit Shah, the young owner of Lower Parel's Deepak Talkies, in a manner that suggests this is not the first time he has used the line. He is the third generation to run the seedy showplace which stands on a lane marked with the odour of beedis and sweat. It opened in the early 1920s as a venue for plays and circuses. When the cinema projector arrived, films were screened mainly for the benefit of workers from nearby mills. The crowds thinned as mills closed.

Eager to turn things around, Shah has been refurbishing the cinema for the past six months. When there are no good films, he plans to offer the space for business conferences, plays and social events. "I want this to be an example of an affordable, good viewing experience and to maintain a theatre with minimum costs."

Financially, alternative uses are more viable. Edward fetches Rs 25,000 to Rs 75,000 when rented out for a performance. "If I cancel one film show, it's not a big loss because I know the audience can come back for the next one. So it is tempting to hold events," says manager Sanjay. Allowing film shooting is another rarer opportunity for old cinemas like New Empire, Aurora, Sterling and Palace Talkies to make some money. Crews would rather pay Rs 1-2 lakh to use the premises for a few hours than build a costly set.

Liberty Cinema, the grand art deco showplace at Marine Lines, stopped playing films last year and hosted about 25 well-attended cultural programmes, including the Mumbai Film Festival (MFF) this year. The arrangement allows owner Nazir Hoosein to both preserve the form of the building and reduce his losses. "Hopefully a time will come when it will be appreciated. What we need from the government is that it should tax us only if we make money. If we don't, leave us to our own devices," he says.

Cinema owners still have to cough up the entertainment tax. Certain theatres, which were built on land reserved for the purpose of cinema, can scale down the film screening business but cannot change it. They have to apply for a number of clearances from the municipality, police and CID each time they hold other shows. "The multiplicity of licences is biting us. We need a single-window set up," says Poonawala.

Upkeep is another impediment. While cinemas like Regal and Liberty are painstakingly maintained by managements that value heritage, other owners lack the resources to beautify loss-making structures. MFF director Srinivasan Narayan picked Chandan Cinema in Juhu as a venue in 2009 to create a sort of festival complex. "That was an experiment but the theatre was very badly maintained. It is a shame because Mumbai lacks auditoriums suitable for a complex." He was more pleased with his selection of Liberty, a short walk away from another festival venue, Metro multiplex.

"Just as the government abolished entertainment tax for multiplexes for a five-year period, they should encourage single-screens by giving a tax holiday for cultural uses," says Narayan. "There was a time when there were 79 single-screens on a 4-km stretch around Grant Road. We need to help the ones that have survived to reinvent themselves."