Another single-screen theatre in Mysuru becomes a thing of the past

Saraswathi, one of the popular theatres located in the heart of Mysuru in Saraswathipuram, which was closed a couple of years post-pandemic, is now being razed to the ground

Another single-screen cinema in Mysuru has slipped into history, with the city’s one popular theatre—Saraswathi Theatre in Saraswathipuram—being razed to the ground. The locals recall watching films starring their favourite stars over the years even as workers have begun razing the theatre to the ground for future plans.

Saraswathi Theatre stopped screening films more than two years ago post-COVID-19 for various reasons. The theatre was dormant for a long time with the cine-goers here strongly hoping that it resumed screening but it is now confirmed that the theatre is making way for a “new entity”.

The theatre that was demolished recently was Shanthala, which was also one of the favourite single screen cinemas for many film enthusiasts. Many single-screens have made way for commercial establishments such as convention halls, wedding halls, commercial complexes, malls and so on.

The city is now left with less than ten single-screen theatres. A couple of them are also on the verge of shutting down.

M.R. Rajaram, vice-president, of Karnataka Film Exhibitors’ Association and the Secretary, of Mysuru Exhibitors’ Association said the single-screen cinemas are struggling for various reasons, primarily the tax, which, according to him, is higher than Bengaluru cinema theatres. One may not be surprised if a couple of more theatres here also get closed down sooner or later as the future for single-screens appears very bleak, he opined.

Single-screen theatres may become non-existent in the next few years if the problems persist, he argued.

Another reason for the closure of cinemas was that the younger generations are no more interested in running theatres and are of the opinion to monetise the land for commercial gains.

The problems for single-screen cinemas began during COVID-19, with lockdowns and curbs on screening citing public health safety.

In the last few years, the number of theatres in Mysuru had come down from 24 to 8. The reasons were aplenty and not COVID-19 alone, the exhibitors claim.

The exhibitors need at least ₹1.25 lakh to run shows daily, and they claim that the returns have been on the decline.

Not just in Mysuru city, which was once the second largest cinema revenue earning centre after Bengaluru city, the theatres are facing crisis in other cities and towns in the State as well.

The single-screen theatres that once used to be the heart of the cinema business in the State faced the serious risk of slipping into oblivion with the first and second waves of COVID-19 sounding the death knell for show business. Some exhibitors in the State opted for permanently shut down theatres, unable to bear the losses.

After Shanthala, Lakshmi, Sree Nagaraj, and Saraswathi theatres, which were into show business for many decades, who is next is the big question as the exhibitors are seeing that the future appears extremely uncertain to continue in show business.

Published - November 05, 2024 07:16 pm IST