Kaveri Theater in Bengaluru. , Photo Credit: File Photo
A little more than three weeks after celebrating its golden jubilee, Bengaluru’s iconic Kaveri Theater has ended its spectacular run. For old Bengaluruans who enjoyed watching movies amid packed crowds, the huge single screen on Sankey Road, Palace Guttahalli is now a sepia-tinged memory.
Starting with a film starring Dr. Rajkumar Bangarda Panjra On 11 January 1974, Kaveri Theater became a popular destination for film lovers during the peak of single screens. The theater curtain fell on 20 April with two Hindi films. big mian small mianAnd Field, These are the last two films screened there. The work of building a commercial complex in its place has started.
A view of Kaveri Theater in Bengaluru. , Photo Credit: File Photo
Prakash Narasimhaiya, owner of Kaveri Theatre, said, “I am sad to close it but there has been a huge decline in collections in the last five years.” He was carrying forward the legacy of his father Narasimhaiya, who had built the theater 50 years ago. “The OTT wave has killed the single screen. People’s movie watching habits have changed and they wait for movies to come online. This has been the situation since the pandemic,” he lamented.
Built over an area of approximately 1.5 acres, Kaveri was known for its huge parking space. With its unique circular design, Kaveri was the only theatre, apart from Abhinaya (on BVK Iyengar Road) and Tribhuvan (closed in 2016), to have a mini balcony. “Kaveri had the biggest screen in Karnataka. We started in 1974 with 1,384 seats, almost close to the seating capacity of Kapali, which was one of the largest single screens in Asia,” said Prakash. “We did a renovation in 1995 and the seats dropped to 110.”
With upscale settings and affordable prices of ₹100 (second class), ₹120 (mini balcony), and ₹150 (balcony), the theater flourished in the multiplex era, even as many other single screens expected Gave up the fight before. Harish Mallya, film lover and consulting curator of the Bengaluru International Film Festival, said, “For the film lovers of Mount Carmel and MES College, Kaveri was the theater of choice for big Hindi releases.” Many big Hindi and Tamil films of Rajinikanth and Vijay had long runs in theatres.
The seating facilities and huge screen of Kaveri Theater in Bengaluru. Photo Credit: File Photo
“Kaveri had everything for a good single screen. It had a big screen, good seats and affordable prices. seeing vision robert (2021) with a packed crowd, Once the pandemic-induced restrictions are lifted, Kaveri will remain my favorite memory,” says city-based film lover Vijay Kalyan Raman.
“Doctor Rajkumar’s Premada Kanike (1976) Performed well. telugu music, Sankarabharanam (1980), and The one who has heart will take the bride away. (1995) ran for more than 25 weeks in Kaveri,” Prakash said. “Kamal Haasan’s.” Indian (1996) ran for 100 days Kantara He completed 50 days of running here. After other iconic single screens like Kapali, Pallavi, Sagar, Tribhuvan and Everest, the show has now ended in Kaveri.
A view of Kaveri Theater in Bengaluru. , Photo Credit: File Photo
A view of Kaveri Theater in Bengaluru. , Photo Credit: File Photo
