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The Strange Resilience of the Telugu 'Main' Theatre
The single screen is a disappearing institution in India today, and the ‘main’ theatre, as a culture, finds itself in jeopardy. And yet, it has managed to thrive for Telugu cinema. The Hollywood Reporter India finds out why.
With Devara: Part 1, superstar NTR Jr. returns to the box office as a solo lead after six years, and the wait is certainly not lost on his millions of ardent fans.
"Not only is this his first release in years as a solo lead, but it also marks a comeback of the out-and-out mass hero in him," says Hyderabad-based Ganesh, a diehard NTR Jr. fan, who runs the popular social media group NTR Fan Trends. Like countless others, Ganesh looks forward to catching the “fan show” of the upcoming film, scheduled to play sometime after midnight on September 27, the day it releases in cinemas worldwide. "The demand is exceptional at the moment, and I have been getting messages for tickets, especially for the show at the main theatre Sudarshan 35MM."
Days of Being Wild
The Sudarshan 35MM Ganesh speaks of is a nearly 50-year-old cinema hall located in the heart of Hyderabad RTC X Roads, a bustling commercial area also known to be home to other landmark single-screen theatres like Sandhya 70MM (and 35MM), Devi 70MM, Sree Mayuri 70MM, Odeon (now a multiplex), and a few more. These spots, if you pay a bit of attention to trade talk and release plans of Telugu films, are often described as “main theatres” for a whole range of reasons, which include their legendary status, their accessibility and affordability, and the emotional bonds these theatres boast with superstars and audiences alike.
To put it differently, until a few years ago, catching a big-ticket film at one of these cinema halls was perhaps akin to watching the cricket World Cup Final at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, or devouring a plate of biryani at Hyderabad's other marquee spot, the Bawarchi Restaurant.
"Watching a Chiranjeevi film at Sandhya was a major point of pride for us college kids back in the early 2000s," says screenwriter and hardcore megastar Chiranjeevi fan, Raja Satish. "While purchasing tickets, one would often get into a scuffle with someone or the other from the crowd and return with torn shirts and a couple of bruises, if you will. But nothing stopped the fans from buying the ticket," he quips.
What exactly contributes to a regular theatre being ranked 'main' is an interesting puzzle to solve. Balgovind Raj Tadla, proprietor of Sudarshan 35MM, indicates that producers and distributors prioritising some cinema halls over others reflects how the pre-digital projection era functioned. "You had producers releasing only a handful of film cans — sometimes 10, sometimes 20, and sometimes 40 or 50 — because the outcome of a film was never certain. And there were at least 200 theatres around," he says.
"Distributors would then begin the journey with cinema halls that were sure to attract crowds on the first few days of a film's release. The masses knew they would get uninterrupted, top-rate engagement at these theatres, and that's essentially the root of a long-sustaining association."
Those who have genuinely experienced the charms and foibles of the 'reel era' single-screen theatre would probably recall that screenings would often either get delayed or abruptly paused. "Reel cans being literally transported from one theatre to another was a common sight in the pre-digital era. If a show began at 11 am in one theatre, a set of reels would be carried to another place for a show at 11:30 am. But, sometimes, there would be delays. In fact, there have been instances from as recently as 15 years ago when cans reached certain small towns almost a year after the film's release! That is because hit films would continue running for 100-150 days together at main theatres," he adds.
Stars and Stripes
So, what really helps single screens thrive today, when a giant threat like the multiplex looms larger than ever? Film journalist and critic G.V. Ramana, who also goes by the name “Idlebrain Jeevi”, points out that a single-screen main theatre remains somewhat in vogue because it also functions as a playground for fans' unabashed celebrations.
"Multiplexes certainly don't allow for loud or extravagant celebrations, so fans still prefer single screens. Even today, for every big-ticket film, you will find a proper show of crackers, banners, teenmaar performances, and all kinds of jubilance in front of a star's enormous cutout. This isn't limited to Hyderabad, mind you. Every major town or city in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, like Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Tirupati, Guntur, Machilipatnam and others, has a main theatre that hosts these celebrations."
Simultaneously, a cluster like RTC X Roads continues its tightrope act of balancing new and modern with the old and romantic, and one sees that the relationship it shares with the top-rung superstars contributes a lot to this cause. "Mahesh Babu has held a special place for Sudarshan 35MM in his heart because he has scored many superhits here, starting with Murari (2001)," says a Telugu film Public Relations Officer, Sreenivas.
"Something like Devi 70MM is dear to Akkineni Nagarjuna with Shiva (1990), Ninne Pelladata (1996), Annamayya (1997) and countless others having run for over 100 days each here. The films NTR Jr., Allu Arjun, Prabhas, etc., have earned career-changing collections at one or the other RTC X Roads venues. A star's association may not be exclusive to a theatre, but a sentimental link is established, and their fans know that."
The same unspoken relationship between a star and a theatre also ensures that films get an uninterrupted stay until the end of their theatrical run. "So many times, you see a film being replaced by another in the second or the third week, whereas the main theatre sticks with it through the third and fourth weeks as well. That's another perk that audiences recognise," Balgovind Raj adds, to underline the fact Nani's Saripodhaa Sanivaaram is still awarded four shows a day at Sudarshan, when most other single screens have moved on.
The Art of Ploughing on
But it goes without saying that the single screen is a disappearing institution in India today, and the main theatre, as a culture, finds itself in jeopardy. Idlebrain Jeevi highlights that it isn't the multiplex alone that poses the threat, but social media, the OTT media and the likes, too, that push audiences in a new direction. "You must also remember that single screens were and are much more affordable for the masses. But, with multiplexes, you don't find them returning to the third, fourth or fifth viewing of a film like they used to in the past. Fans, too, today, are more enamoured by opening-day collections, number of views, retweets and so on," he adds.
Yet, public perception extends and rejuvenates the life of this culture, according to exhibitors like Balgovind Raj. "Technically, the main theatre concept should have faded away because, unlike the old times, the digital projection caters to every theatre the same way today. However, a sense of loyalty, love and support, combined with the desire to be part of a piece of history, brings them back to us."
Earlier this year, Tamil superstar Vikram visited Sudarshan 35MM as part of his Thangalaan promotions, and was able to soak up the frenzy first-hand. Similarly, in 2023, local boy Vijay Devarakonda chose to catch a show of his 2023 film Kushi with fans at Sandhya 70MM and relive the good times. And only a few years ago, Mahesh Babu addressed a massive gathering of fans and confessed that even though he has turned an exhibitor (as a partner in the multiplex chain AMB Cinemas) himself, his affection for his favourite single screen will remain as heartfelt as ever.
“I still feel Sudarshan 35MM is like my own theatre,” said the 49-year-old star to a loud cheer, confirming that the main theatre experience will linger on in public memory for a long time to come.