It’s curtains for Ramakrishna theatre

Ramakrishna Talkies, one of the city's oldest theatres downed its shutters earlier this week after incurring heavy losses. The theatre’s former owner Jambaka Ramakrishnan, whose father-in-law M. R

Ramakrishna Talkies, one of the city's oldest theatres downed its shutters earlier this week after incurring heavy losses. The theatre’s former owner Jambaka Ramakrishnan, whose father-in-law M. R. S. Srinivas set up the theatre in his son's name- M.R.S. Ramakrishnan, recollects the theatre’s glory days. The theatre was set up in 1934, the same year Mr. Ramakrishnan was born. It came up on a piece of land which Mr. Srinivas, a doctor, had purchased to set up a hospital. Mr. Srinivas’ cousin from Chennai who ran a dubbing studio had encouraged him to do it as they could release films produced at their studio. Excess metal purchased for constructing Mettur dam was auctioned off, and the frames of the building were made using that very same metal. Up to 1947, the theatre ran with help from Mr. Srinivas’ brother. However, when his wife fell ill, they decided to lease the theatre out to a family who were already running Plaza Theatre, which screened popular English films in the city. “They screened English films at our theatre too. I remember watching ‘Land of the Pharaohs’, ‘20,000 Leagues Under the Sea’ at the theatre, years before I was married into the family,” Ms Jambaka said.