Gauhati's Movie Halls of the 70s

-Dilip K. Sarma

Image Source: Internet

May be today's young would be much more clearer about it or may be not, but I was not sure who she was to me. Whenever someone mentions 'Kelvin'(1) the movie hall at Gauhati, it reminds me of watching in 1978 a re-run of(2) 'Love Story' (1970- Ali McGraw & Ryan O'Neal) with her.

Ali MacGraw - Ryan O'Neal starrer "Love Story" (1970)

But Kelvin was not the first 'Talkie' movie hall in Gauhati. The first talkie movie hall, the 'Pioneer', was started in the 1930s by Lakhtokia's Mohd. Masum. It changed a few hands and during the time of second world war, it was re-named 'Bijulee' when with his friend Late Bhuban Chowdhury, Late Tilak Das(3) took over the movie hall.

Late Das also started 'Urvashi', where during my 4 years of college (1975 -79), some of us hardly missed a single Sunday Morning show. I remember watching 'The Graduate' (1969 - Dustin Hoffman's second but the breakthrough film) here.

In comparison to Urvashi, Bijulee was much smaller. One visited the hall only when one didn't get a ticket in Urvashi. 'Rupayan', nearby and started in 1947 by Uzanbazar Riverside's Bhabani Prasad Baruah, though larger than Bijulee, was on the downhill in the seventies. Last movie I watched there, on a vacation during my university years, with my university mate Venu Rajamony, the present ambassador to Netherland, was Jahnu Baruah's first film 'Aparupa'. 'Chowdhury Talkies' on AT Road near western part of the flyover was a rundown hall even in the 70s. So was much smaller 'Rupashri' on the eastern part of the AT road flyover, but was famous for good Bengali Movies. So was relatively better 'Meghdoot' where I watched Satyajit Ray's first colour film 'Ashani Sanket' (1973- a film with the backdrop of the Bengal Famine of early forties which won 'Golden Bear' for best film in Berlin film festival and starred Soumitra Chatterjee and Bangladesh Actress Bobeeta. Ray had earlier won 'Silver Bear' for best director but never 'the best film'). Meghdoot was also famous for its 'double/triple' night-shows during Durga Puja. Urvashi was the leader till 'Apsara' near Manipuri Basti, the first 70mm & air-conditioned hall in Gauhati, came up. From here, the movie halls moved to the east of the city with 'Anuradha' started in 1970 by Late Phani Sharma(4). I remember watching 'Hunting Flies' (Poland - 1969; directed by Polish 'Satyajit Ray'- Andrzej Wajda) during an East European Film Festival(5). Some time later at the far east-end of the city, 'Vandana' started where I had watched  'A Man Called Horse' (1970- Richard Harris).

Andrzej Wanda's Hunting Flies

Jahnu Barua's Aparoopa

A Man Called Horse - Richard H

Post script:

This piece would be incomplete if I don't mention the first movie hall of the town during the "silent era' - Lakhtokia's Rasul Sa'ab (Known more as 'Moina Mouzadar')'s movie hall with bamboo benches, at Panbazar near the 'Nak-Kata Pukhuri'(6) and frequented by the working class of Gauhati, mainly the 'khalasis' of river dockyards. It was more known as 'Raju's Cinema Hall" after South Indian Manager cum all-in-one employee Raju. It was a Telugu name. In case you don't know, ancestors of my son are also Telugu-s.

Footnotes:

(1) Started in 1935 by Goenkas; so named after the German brand Kelvin - a kerosene-run- projector.

(2) Or, did it come very late to Gauhati? It generally took 3-5 years those days for a Hollywood film to come to Guwahati.

(3) On whose father Rai Bahadur Bhuban Das's name the road form Latasil to Kharghuli is now named and father-in-law of Eggs-O-Tic's owner Preeti Das.

(4) Who had brought Assam Table Tennis to the national level and now would be more known as father-in-law of Congress leader Bobeeta Sharma.

(5) It still maintains the tradition of film festivals of the World-Cinema.

(6) Or, Nag-Kata or Nag-Pota Pukhuri?

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