The iconic Alankar theatre in Mapsua has screened its last movie sometime back.
MAPUSA
After El Capitan, another popular cinema hall, was brought down some years ago to make way for a commercial project, Alankar, the only other cinema hall left in Bardez is now out of bounds for movie buffs.
The theatre has been shut five months ago with Bahubali being the last movie shown on the big screen in the city.
With thick vegetation on one side of the theatre, the area around the cinema hall has now become an open urinal and the steps leading to the theatre, a resting place for the strays.
An iconic theatre in Mapusa, Alankar was one-stop entertainment for thousands of movie goers from Mapusa and surrounding villages.
Until late '90s, Alankar was a favourite hunting ground for college students in the morning and a family entertainment spot during the weekends.
With the advent of multiplexes and 24-hour entertainment programmes beamed at home on TVs, off late, mostly people from the labour class flocked to the theatre.
Sources in the know informed that with a single screen and obsolete equipment and furniture, screening of movies in the theatre was no longer a profitable venture.
The theatre was first thrown open for public on April 21, 1965, and the evergreen Dev Anand's blockbuster, "Guide" was the first movie screened in the theatre.
Coincidentally, Bahubali another blockbuster was the
PRESENT STATUS
Has been shut for five months now
Thick vegetation on one side of the theatre
Area around cinema hall now an open urinal and steps a resting place for strays
FLASHBACK: The iconic theatre was one-stop entertainment for thousands of movie-goers from Mapusa and surrounding villages. Until late '90s, it was a favourite hunting ground for college students in the morning and a family entertainment spot during the weekends.
