After 56 years of screening, it is curtain on the prestigious KBS theater in Kodumudi.

In Kodumudi, a city in the Aerod District, where only touring talkies brought films for public, well-known playback singer and actor KB Sundarmbal, decided to raise a permanent theater 56 years ago. For him, it was not just a building, but a gratitude to cinema – the region that gave his identity and fame.

D. According to Sath Ganesh, Sunderambal, whom he had referred to as his aunt, the then Chief Minister M. Rejected the idea of a school proposed by Karunanidhi in his honor. Instead, he chose to build a cinema hall, assuming that it reflects his journey in cinema better.

“KBS theater became the first and only theater in Kodumudi, and it remains to date. The nearest theater is still about 15 km away. In earlier years, people had to travel to Karur otherwise, 27 km away, or 40 km away, to watch films,” he said.

The theater was inaugurated on October 28, 1969. Karunanidhi, the then Chief Minister, and actors MG Ramachandran and J. Jayalalithaa was performed in the presence, both of them later organized the Chief Minister’s office. Sunderambal recorded with him in an open jeep procession from his residence to theater, in a moment in family photos. The program is remembered as a landmark in Kodumudi, which is to bring three persons together, who took over as Chief Minister.

“The theater had the first film screening Thunivan (1969), produced by Cedar Films and starred by AVM Rajan and Sokar Janaki, in which Sundaram also played a role. A song recorded for the film gave her the National Film Award for Best Women Playback Singer.

After the death of Sunderambal in 1980, the theater came under the management of its relatives and continued films for several decades. It was operating in 2020 till the Covid-19 lockdown. Due to no shows in the last five years, the building has now been pulled down.