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 10,2024

Mangaluru: A teenage boy from a remote village in Dakshina Kannada district, who was undergoing treatment for stomach pain for past few days, breathed his last after hospitalization. 

The deceased has been identified as Nithin Kumar, 19, who had completed PUC and was attending computer classes. 

According to police, on May 4, when he informed his family that he had been suffering from a stomach-ache for the past 4-5 days, his family members took him to a clinic in Kaniyoor.

The doctors who examined him advised him to undergo scanning. He was informed about a kidney stone and later, they returned home. That same night, he suffered from stomach-ache again and was rushed to a private hospital in Puttur.

On May 7, as per doctors’ advice, he was discharged around 12:45pm. However, when he came home around 2:30pm, he again suffered from stomach-ache and was taken to another private hospital in Puttur, where doctors conducted a surgery.

On Wednesday, as per doctors’ advice, he was asked to be shifted to Mangaluru for better treatment.

He visited a private hospital in Derakatte, where doctors suggested that he be shifted to government Wenlock Hospital.

The doctors who examined him at the Wenlock Hospital declared him dead. A case has been registered at the Bellare police station, and an investigation is on.

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News Network
May 3,2024

Bengaluru: In a fresh development in the alleged Hassan sex abuse case, JD(S) MLA H D Revanna, who was accused of sexually harassing his house help, has been booked for kidnapping a victim allegedly sexually assaulted by his son, Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna. The case was filed late Thursday evening at the KR Nagar police station in Mysuru.

The 20-year-old complainant from KR Nagara accused one Sathish Babanna of taking his mother away forcibly and keeping her in an unknown location at the behest of Revanna.

As per the FIR, Revanna has been named as accused 1 while Babanna was accused 2. The duo were booked under IPC Sections 364A (kidnapping for ransom), 365 (kidnapping or abducting with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine a person) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention).

The complainant claimed that his mother, whose name and age were not revealed, had worked as a help in Revanna’s house and farm in Holenarasipura for six years, quit the job three years ago and returned to KR Nagara. She then worked for daily wages.

“Nearly three to four days before the Lok Sabha election, Sathish Babanna, who is known to us and hailed from our native place, took my mother to Holenarasipura after saying that Bhavani Revanna, the wife of MLA Revanna, had asked for her,” the complainant alleged, adding that Babanna dropped her back on the day of the polls.

Babanna allegedly told the victim’s mother and father to remain silent and evade the police if they came looking for them and to inform him of the developments.

On April 29, at around 9 pm, when the complainant was home, the suspect Babanna arrived, told the complainant’s mother that Revanna had asked for her and took her away on his motorcycle. The complainant claimed that he wasn’t aware of where Babanna took his mother and he had told him that if the police found her, a case would be registered and they would all go to jail.

On May 1, two of the complainant’s relatives called him on the phone and told him that there was a video of his mother being sexually assaulted by Prajwal and that it was a huge case, the FIR noted. He was also informed by his two friends of his "mother's videos being circulated".

When he asked Babanna later that night, he was allegedly told that there was a photo of his mother standing with a stick when Prajwal had quarrelled with someone earlier and an FIR had been registered. Babanna told the complainant that his mother would have to be released on bail, the FIR noted.

“Babanna told me not to speak on the matter on my phone and asked me to talk from a different phone,” he said, seeking action from the police.

The case has been transferred to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up to probe the Hassan sex scandal as per the government order.

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News Network
May 12,2024

Mangaluru, May 12: In a shocking development, a group of pilgrims which had travelled from Mangaluru International Airport to Saudi Arabia earlier this month, to perform Umrah has alleged that 26,432 Saudi Riyals, which were kept in a bag, have been stolen. 

In a complaint submitted to the Bajpe Police, Soukath Banu, wife of Ahmed Iqbal of Ajyad Tours and Travels, said that her husband, Ahmed Iqbal, along with 35 members, planned and scheduled to perform the Umrah and were travelling from Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) via Mumbai to Jeddah. 

Soukath Banu had given Ahmed Iqbal 2,000 Saudi Riyals for performing Umrah and other expenses. The group members were also told to bring Saudi Riyals to meet their expenses.

In her plaint, Soukath stated that the group had left for Jeddah on an IndiGo flight via Mumbai, and their return ticket to India was booked for May 13. 

At the airport, she said that 26,432 Saudi Riyals were collected in total, and they decided to keep them in baggage that had a lock. Accordingly, it was kept in the bag of Mohammad Badruddin Kadambar. The airport staff had even questioned what he had kept in the bag. 

The group reached Jeddah on May 1. To their surprise, Kadambar found that the baggage lock was broken open, the zip was damaged, and cash was stolen upon reaching Jeddah.

DCP (Law and Order) Sidharth Goyal said that following the complaint, one round of CCTV checks was conducted at the MIA along with the CISF personnel. The loading at the MIA was intact.

Further checks have to be carried out at Mumbai and Jeddah Airport as the victim found out that cash was missing only when they got the bag at the final destination, he added.

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