A piece of heartbreaking news awaits the people of Chennai as the city’s iconic Agastya Theatre announced on September 1 that it will shut its doors due to poor revenues and other reasons. Nestled in the heart of Tondiarpet, with a seating capacity of over 1000 seats, the historic theatre entertained people for 53 years. It screened thousands of movies from the Late CM G Ramachandran’s Ulagamsutrum Valiban to the latest movies of Ajith and Vijay. But over the years, its revenues dipped for many reasons. This includes not renovating it into an AC hall. Unfortunately, single-screen theatres across the country have given way to multiplexes. In Chennai, PVR will soon open a five-screen theatre at Chennai International Airport. Read on to know more.
Agastya Theatre In Chennai To Close Its Doors After 53 Years
Chennai’s historic Agastya Theatre shall final down its shutters after 53 glorious years due to loss of revenue and other reasons. Agastya Theatre owners announced this on September 1. The theatre boasted of a whopping 1004 seats which is quite rare to find anywhere in Chennai. The single-screen theatre first opened on March 9, 1967, and screened thousands of movies over the years starring late Tamil Nadu CM MG Ramachandran, Vijay and Ajith, to name a few. The first movie to be screened in the theatre was Bama Vijayam. And it ran for 100 days. Films of renowned stars like MGR, Sivaji Ganesan, Rajnikanth and Kamal Hassan were a hit in this theatre.
This theatre became popular over the years as it’s a landmark in the area. The bus stop in the area was also named after the theatre. Agastya theatre also received many awards from various cinema associations for its successful screening. Venkataraman, the manager of Agastya Theatre stated to TNIE that this theatre has 1004 seats and a 70-mm screen with Dolby audio. He recalled that the theatre screened iconic movies like Neethipathi, Sangamam, Pokkiri, Dheena and Citizen.
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Agastya Theatre Shuts Down Due To Dip In Revenues
This theatre enjoyed its glory and fame over the years. But from 2010, it witnessed a dip in revenue due to various reasons. Venkatraman stated to TNIE “We did not renovate the theatre into an air-conditioned hall. We did not get access to many major movies after that.” But this theatre has giant fans to ventilate the hall.
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Apart from the AC issues, the traffic diversions due to the metro construction on the Thiruvottiyur High Road also gave a major blow to the theatre. The manager adds “The road became one-way following the underground track constructions, making it inconvenient for many to come. Crowds drastically reduced.”
However, the manager who managed this theatre for decades belives that this place will g down in history for its screening of successful movies and spacious halls. He revealed that very few theatres in Chennai offered balcony and box in the earlier days. And when Agastya Theatre initially opened it offered tickets for just ₹1.10. Just 30 workers worked here. It remained a source of entertainment for poor people across North Chennai. While you might miss Agastya Theatre, it’s definitely made a mark for not only Chennai but also Tamil Nadu. Meanwhile, take a virtual tour around Kaidi Kitchen in Chennai.