Single screen theatres struggle for survival as multiplexes thrive in Mangaluru

Sumedha V & Shivani Rao
September 5, 2017

Since the advent of multiplexes there has been a paradigm shift of cinemagoers, thereby decreasing the crowd at single screen talkies. “We do not see college students rushing into theatres the way they did before. We do not have luxurious facilities that multiplexes provide and hence cannot attract the youth these days. Having a single screen is another limitation,” says Ravi Shankar Rai the manager of Jyothi talkies. 

One among the oldest surviving landmarks happens to be Jyothi Talkies. Beginning under the franchise of Karnataka Theatres ltd (KTL), in 1946 Jyothi Talkies became a hub for leisure and family time. Other talkies started under KTL, in Udupi, Kasargod and Karkala have now been closed down leaving this the only surviving one. It has even made its name to platforms like ‘BookMyShow’. Located in one of the most popular areas of the city, Jyothi has given its name to the bus-stop near it.  

“There were times when people used to crowd near the gates whenever movies starring popular Sandalwood actors like Rajkumar and Vishnuvardhan used to be screened. Tickets used to even get sold in black. It isn’t the same anymore. The audience now depends upon the movie and ticket prices,” said Ramanath Bhandary, the part-time manager. Even if Tamil, Telegu, Malyalam and few famous English and Hindi movies are screened, those that gain a full house are usually Tulu and Kannada movies, he said. “Some movies are popularly demanded by the audience. We had to screen Ondu Motteya Kathe again on demand most recently,” he added. Ravi Shankar said that there was a proposal to convert the theatre into a multiplex. In order to keep the name alive it is planned not to re-christen it.

Other cinemas in Mangaluru, like Roopavani and Ramakanthi are also not doing very well. Ramakanthi was started in 1952 as one among the partnership businesses, along with the New Chitra talkies (then Hindustan talkies) and Central talkies (then Krishna talkies). “Back in the day, when we screened movies like The Ten Commandments and Maine Pyar Kiya, every show was houseful. In fact, Maine Pyar Kiya saw a historical record in our collection. Now we are struggling to survive. There is no use in any further investment on renovation or getting better technology. There is no competing with multiplexes,” said the manager of Ramakanthi for the last 30 years, R Vasanth Rao. The last English film the talkies screened was Titanic, as people don’t watch English movies here, he said. He added that now people come to watch only movies of Darshan and Sudeep, and that Kannada and Tulu movies run for 2-3 weeks sometimes. 

Now most of the audience of all these talkies comprise of labour class and those who cannot afford multiplexes. The coming of GST has proved to be yet another botheration to talkies. 18% tax on movie tickets (costing less than Rs. 100) means the costs have to go higher, which means they could lose more audience. 

Although the transition has taken place from reels to digitalisation, they still do not have facilities like 2K, 4K and 3D. The theatres feature wood-wool covered ceilings and walls for sound proofing, this in no way compares to modern sound systems of multiplexes. Not just this, the buildings are also very old and lack the glamorous look of malls.

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News Network
May 15,2020

Bengaluru, May 15: The novel coronavirus infection tally in Karnataka state on Friday crossed the 1,000-mark with 45 new positive cases.

The tally has risen to 1032 with 35 deaths.

At present, there are 520 active cases, while 476 have been discharged following recovery

A maximum of 16 new cases are from Dakshina Kannada, followed by 13 in Bengaluru Urban.

Five cases are from Udupi, three each from Hassan and Bidar, two from Chitradurga and one each from Bagalakote, Shivamoga and Kolara, respectively.

A three-year-old is among the six minor infected by the virus.

Among the new cases, nearly 20 have a travel history to Dubai, four to Mumbai, and three to Chennai.

The rest of the patients are contacts in the Containment zone and those who tested positive earlier.

Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar said that there is no community transmission as yet.

New cases reported: 45

Total active cases: 520

Total discharges: 476

Total covid deaths: 35

Death of covid +ve patient due to Non-Covid cause: 1

Total positive cases: 1032

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News Network
January 6,2020

Hubballi, Jan 6: Elected representatives of the BJP, Congress and JD(S) on Sunday decided to sink their differences and fight unitedly for Karnataka’s rightful share in the Mahadayi and Kalasa-Banduri water dispute with Goa.

The meeting convened by JD(S) MLC Basavaraj Horatti here saw participation of BJP ministers Prahlad Joshi and Jagadish Shettar, Congress and JD(S) lawmakers, among others.

After a 70-minute closed door meeting, MLC Horatti told reporters that they discussed the water dispute in detail and decided to take steps based on inputs from legal and technical experts on the rightful apportioning of water. “Today, we took the first big step towards the overall development of the region, unencumbered by political divisions,” he said.

Though the air was filled with a sense of jubilation as the issue had united seemingly hostile political parties on one side, a few activists expressed disappointment that the meeting failed to set a timeline to resolve the dispute.

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coastaldigest.com news network
April 23,2020

Newsroom, Apr 23: During the ongoing lockdown in India so as to break the chain of Coronavirus infection, Islamic scholars across India are appealing Muslims to stay indoors and observe fasting with steadfastedness in the blessed month of Ramadan.

They have urged the people to offer taraveeh and other Namaz at homes, do iftar at home and enjoy with one's family only.

During Ramadan, social distancing would be of utmost importance in order to contain the disease, they urged. 

Shahi imams of Jama Masjid and Fatehpuri Masjid in the city have also appealed to Muslims to offer namaz during the holy month of Ramadan at home and follow lockdown guidelines to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

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