Central Plaza Cinema at Girgaon in Bombay will never reopen. The owners of the single-screen cinema which has seen many films celebrate jubilees, have decided to down shutters for good. Rising costs, mounting losses, competition from multiplexes, high government taxes have all led to the decision of closure. Property tax is very high, especially in South Bombay where Central Plaza is located.
Just recently, Bombay’s twin cinemas, Ganga-Jamuna, were demolished as the structure was said to be in dangerous straits. Like Ganga-Jamuna and Central Plaza, there are a number of single-screen cinemas in Maharashtra, which are contemplating closing down forever. Although such cinemas have braved the oppositions of television, multiplexes and high taxes, the coronavirus pandemic has proven to be the proverbial last straw on the camel’s back. Many single-screen cinemas are fearful of reopening (whenever the government grants cinemas permission to restart operations) after the over-five-month closure as they see recurring fixed costs on the one hand and uncertain footfalls owing to fear in the minds of the audiences on the other.
The cinema had been acquired by Pranlal Doshi and Ganesh J. Vartak in 1967-68 from K.K. Modi’s Western India Theatres Ltd., the first public limited company in Indian exhibition trade. The Doshis and the Vartaks still own it jointly. Said Vimal Doshi, grandson of Pranlal Doshi, “The decision to down shutters has been very painful, but we had no option. We have weathered many storms through the years but it was becoming almost impossible to carry on. The pandemic lockdown has underlined the pitiable situation single-screen cinemas find themselves in, especially like ours, because of extremely high property tax. Sharad kaka (Sharad Doshi uncle) is crestfallen that the cinema will be closing down forever. Some of our employees have been with us right from 1966. It would be heart-wrenching to settle accounts with them and tell them that the cinema will never reopen.”