With Kalpana Talkies at Anand in Gujarat downing shutters last month, the city has bid goodbye to the culture of enjoying films in single-screen cinemas. At one time, Anand had as many as seven single-screen cinemas. However, today, the city may boast of six multiplexes but it doesn’t have a single single-screen cinema left.
Swastik and Gopal were the first two single-screen cinemas in Anand. Subsequently, Kalpana, Lakshmi, Rajshree, Gopi and Tulsi were built. With the advent of multiplexes, the single-screen cinemas found it difficult to survive as people preferred to watch films in swanky multiplexes. The first to bear the brunt of the multiplex culture was Gopal Talkies which shut down in 2005. Swastik followed suit five years later. Gopi closed down in 2011, Tulsi in 2015 and Lakshmi in 2019. Rajshree was converted into a multiplex and hence did not have to down shutters. Kalpana was the last single-screen cinema to suspend operations and close down.
Kalpana Talkies was built in 1963 on a farm owned by Chaturbhai Patel who was fondly called Chatur Kaka. Before that, Anand had two cinemas viz. Swastik and Gopal. At that time, Kalpana had 700 seats. There was a special Box class which had a premium price attached to its tickets. Professor was the opening attraction at Kalpana.
