As the Juhu-based single-screen theatre downs shutters for a makeover, film buffs and members of the fraternity revisit their fondest experiences at the establishment
Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 2, 2019)

Mirror had earlier reported (January 2) that Chandan Cinema will be downing shutters to make way for three mini-plexes. The deed is now done. Akshay Kumar-starrer Kesari was the last film to be screened at Juhu’s last single screen theatre on Friday. “It was named after my mother, Chandrakanta, fondly called Chandan. The story behind its birth is one of the greatest untold love stories between my parents,” reminisces its owner, Sameer Joshi.

The cinema hall opened in 1974 with Raj Kapoor’s Bobby. The seats were wooden then and the fans creaked. Twenty years later, air-conditioners and granite flooring were installed on the insistence of Sooraj Barjatya who was adamant about his family drama, Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! only playing in theatres that met certain standards and offered a comfortable setting. “It cost me around Rs 3 crore but the response was overwhelming,” smiles Sameer, equally optimistic about the new transformation.

In the late ’70s, Chandan was one of the few suburban theatres to screen English films. Saturday Night Fever ran for the longest time there. Bandra boy Sanjay Gupta trekked to Juhu frequently to watch Hollywood movies. “Saturday Night Fever was the first film I saw there. Years later, my office was located right opposite and I would chat up the guys selling tickets in black outside to find out how a film was doing. Their predictions were always bang-on,” he flashbacks, adding that Salman Khan’s Kick was among the last films he watched there. “Chandan was the place to go for a Salman Khan film as the atmosphere there was incredible… electric.”

Tusshar Kapoor spent his childhood in Bandra but shifted to Juhu in the early ’90s and since then has been a regular patron. “The audience reaction would begin at Chandan, and there was a time when it became a barometer for a film’s success. The first film I watched there was Dil. As an Aamir Khan fan, I enjoyed the euphoria,” he smiles.

Movie buff Dilip Parmar recalls the David Dhawan-Govinda films. “Hero No 1 was a blast! Govinda was a huge star then and the audience greeted him with whistles and claps. I loved the theatre because the tickets were reasonably priced so going to Chandan wasn’t heavy on the pocket. I will definitely miss it,” he sighs.

Dhavid Dhawan’s actor son Varun reciprocates his feelings, having grown up watching films there. “I lived for the most part in Juhu and as a child I remember sitting in the stall with samosas and screaming loudly with the audience. Watching a film there was like a festival,” he informs.

Chandan continued to pack in the crowds even at the turn of the millennium. Trade analyst Amod Mehra saw Sunny Deol’s 2001 release, Gadar - Ek Prem Katha, there and remembers the hysteria it generated showcasing the Indo-Pak conflict. “The experience of watching films with 800 people was unique. It was a prestigious thing for a producer to have his film screened at Chandan,” he says.

Anurag Kashyap hosted the premiere of his 2009 film Dev D there and it is his most cherished memory of the theatre. “During the show, I was strolling the car park outside. When we saw that The Times of India had given our film a five-star review, it made us cry,” he says.

Quiz Balkrishna Shroff on the theatre’s future and the man who, with brother Shyam founded the first multiplex chain in Mumbai, Fame Adlabs, applauds Sameer for his decision. “He should have made it five years ago. Multiplexes have taken over the exhibition sector since 2000. Chandan was not competition for us because Fame was the first one to provide a world-class movie-watching experience,” he signs off.

Single-screen theatre in Juhu, which is a haven for fans of masala potboilers, is unable to sustain and will go in for redevelopment
Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; December 29, 2018)

Six months after reports of Regal cinema staring at a shutdown, we hear Juhu's 45-year-old Chandan cinema will soon down its shutters. Owner Sameer Joshi confirmed the development and said, "Yes, we are shutting down, but we haven't decided when exactly. Chandan loyalists needn't be worried because we will be coming up with multiple screens."

"We aren't partnering with any cinema chains. It was purely a business decision between the Wadhwa Group and us." He blamed the kind of films for falling footfall. "There are very few movies today that carter to the masses. For a single screen cinema like us, which is a 650-seater, we struggle to fill even 100 seats." Joshi adds that the slide has also increased since web streaming platforms came in. "People are looking at alternative modes of entertainment. Netflix and Amazon has kind of ruined the business."

He also points out that the government hasn't provided any help to keep the single screens afloat. "Today, we have a 4K projection, better seats and the latest sound system, but the government is worried about where they will collect GST and talk about fiscal deficit in revenues. They have requested single screen owners not to shut down but don't understand that everybody has to change with time. Our association [single screen owners association] has made many presentations on how some aid will help us stay afloat but it has fallen on deaf ears."

Trade analyst Amod Mehra remembers watching many films at Chandan that had opened in 1973. He believes that it is difficult to imagine so many single screens being shut down. "I can understand that it is completely a business decision, but I feel the government needs to step in and save this dying breed and preserve the city's art heritage. It is really sad to hear that many single screens are being forced to shut down."

Shadab Shaikh, an autorickshaw driver, who had just watched Ranveer Singh's Simmba there, said, "This was the only theatre with affordable pricing [currently the ticket rates are in the range of Rs 150-180]. The crowd at Chandan likes to whistle, clap and even abuse which is the real fun."