Who would not like to go back in time and watch their favourite films in theatre? Whether it is a cult classic like Andaz Apna Apna or a Woodie Allen feature, cinephiles and movie buffs are always on the lookout to rewatch their favourite films. And now they can.
While Matterden was the only hall known for screening classics, now several film societies and curators have taken up the cause and have now taken to screening old films in the city’s theatres. 1018mb, a city-based film society is one such organisation, which curates screenings of old movies in different venues in the city. The New Excelsior Cinema is another venue, which has been hosting screenings curated by Mukta A2 Cinemas, the multiplex and cinema arm of Subhash Ghai’s entertainment company Mukta Arts Limited.
“When we acquired the cinema property and renovated it, we decided to retain its retro feel, with the Goan curtains and the huge screen and old-fashioned seating. Screening old films just seemed like a natural step to take at such a venue. It organically lent itself to such films,” says Rahul Puri, managing director of Mukta Arts.
Having started with Taal back in April, the hall has been screening classics almost every week since then. However, Rahul says that the target audience is more than just cinephiles. “We are also looking at the fans of the original movies. So, we not only screen the old films but bring in the actors, technicians and other members of the crew to interact with the audience. We try to give the audience the kind of experience they would have had back in the day,” he explains, adding that one of his favourite moments was during the screening of Khalnayak when the audience members got up to dance to Choli Ke Peeche.
1018mb is another organisation that takes screenings to the next step, with guest appearances. Co-founder Santhosh Kumar speaks about one such instance, “Just this Sunday, we had a screening of Gulaal. We had Anurag Kashyap drop by for a Q and A with the audience. We make sure to keep curate a mix of films to ensure a mixed audience.”
It’s not just cult classics but also out-of-circulation regional films that Santhosh plans to screen. “A lot of regional cinema is not screened across the country,” he explains. Santhosh explains that their audience is across the board. “For instance, when we started screening the Malayalam movie Angamaly Diaries we only had people in the industry and then some Kerala expats. However, after a couple of weeks, we had full house screenings where most of the crowd was non-Malayali,” he adds.
While Hindi and regional films get their due thanks to these organisations, the Matterden has, over the years become the go-to place for watching English cult classics. Editor by profession and cinema-buff by passion, Rancil Rebello is a regular at this venue. “Cinema-lovers like me like to watch some of our favourite classics at the theatre and the Matterden is a great place to do that. The ambiance is also retro, with the balcony seating and single-screen — there is no room for mall culture here,” he says.
