Time was when people used to make a beeline for cinemas as that was the only cheap form of entertainment. But the scene has changed today. People have various avenues of entertainment. Why, films themselves can be consumed right in the comfort of one’s home. With people frequenting cinemas lesser and lesser, these places of entertainment are shutting shop. Similarly, competition posed by new-age multiplexes are forcing single-screen cinemas to down shutters as they find it very difficult to compete with multiplexes when it comes to offering comfort to the paying public. People don’t mind paying more for cinema tickets provided the sound and picture quality are better and other facilities are superior. That is why, in Amravati alone, most of the single-screen cinemas have closed down. Today, only two single-screen cinemas are functional in Amravati. There was a time when there used to be 11 cinemas in this ‘A’-class centre of C.P. Berar circuit. But sadly today, Amravati in Maharashtra is left with just two of those 11 cinemas. Except for Prabhat and Priya, no single-screen cinema is running in Amravati.
Saroj and Rajlaxmi cinemas are non-functional. As for the other cinemas — Chitra, Vasant, Shyam, Panchsheel, Alankar, Gopal and Mahavir — they are all history today! Interestingly, chowks in the vicinity of many of these cinemas, were named after the cinemas. Today, although the cinemas are no longer in existence, the chowks bear the same names, which are sad reminders of the time when single-screen cinemas (from which the chowks got their names) used to do flourishing business!
Mahavir Talkies was the first of the aforenamed cinemas to close down. This was followed by Vasant. While a wholesale medicine market has come up where once stood Mahavir, a mall stands in place of Vasant Talkies. Another cinema — Best — was constructed in the mall, but Best also closed down later. A sweetmeat shop stands on the plot of land which housed Shyam Talkies many years ago. Gopal Talkies was demolished ages ago, but so many years later, the empty plot of land even today serves as a reminder of the time when people used to throng the cinema to watch films. Panchsheel and Alankar cinemas gave way to Big Cinema Rajesh, but dwindling footfalls saw Big Cinema Rajesh also down shutters in due course of time. The building housing Big Cinema Rajesh was ultimately razed to the ground and today, one sees an empty plot of land where once stood Panchsheel and Alankar cinemas. Chitra cinema shut down many years ago but the building has not yet been demolished. Rajlaxmi and Saroj Talkies were the last two single-screen cinemas to down shutters.