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Hallmark of Hollywood flicks

Passing through the rough and tumble of the commercial exhibition of cinema, Leela Mahal remains a legendary theatre for the last 62 years, says ANDAVILLI SATYANARAYANA

THE FOUNDER R.V.Girija Prasad (Baji Babu)

Before the advent of TV, cinema was the only wholesome entertainment to a large number of people within their reach. Cinema theatres in Vijayawada played a pioneering role in the State in many respects.

Maruti Talkies, founded by Potina Srinivasa Rao in 1921 was the first theatre in the State. One by one, many more came into being. But the one theatre, Leela Mahal, which was inaugurated on December 31, 1944, when the World War II was at its height, was unique in every respect. It was the only theatre in those days, for a long time, screening English films exclusively.

Tansen

Nostalgia comes crowding when I look back upon those good old days when seeing a picture in that theatre was itself an unforgettable experience. I remember how I failed to get the ticket when the theatre on the first day screened Tansen with the legendary singer's role played by K.L. Saigal, a singer par excellence. After screening Hindi and English films up to 1949, it switched over completely to English films. The owner R.V. Girija Prasad, known as Baji Babu, was the youngest of Eight Prasad brothers who set up theatres in Guntur, Nellore, Visakhapatnam and Kakinada in quick succession and became trendsetters in these parts in punctuality, discipline, cleanliness and several other aspects.

English classics

I saw some of the great English classics in Leela Mahal. There used to be change of film every Friday and apart from usual cine-goers, some of the elite of the city visited the place regularly. My revered guru in SRR&CVR College, Viswanatha Satyanarayana, used to come for every film with one or two friends and walk back all the way from there to his house in Marutinagar. I saw the great movie, Shakespeare's `Hamlet' with my friends and our English Lecturer, K.S. Hoskot.

OLD IS GOLD The fa‡ade of Leela Mahal when it was inaugurated in 1944.

Next day Viswanatha, who was also there on that day, spoke in the class for full hour about the greatness of the play and the wonderful acting of Lawrence Olivier as Hamlet. Cecil B. De Milles, `Ten Commandments' ran for record hundred days in that theatre and I have no count of how many times I must have seen there all time greats like `Ben Hur,' `Robe,' `Henry VIII,' `Romeo and Juliet,' `Cleopatra,' `Gone with the Wind,' `Roman Holiday,' `Goldrush,' `Anna Karinina,' `Tale of Two Cities,' and so on.

My colleague and good friend, Chodavarapu Krishna Rao was my constant companion in those days, but he was a greater addict and had never missed any film there.

Movie used to start on the dot and the usual whistling, shouting and hilarious outbursts were conspicuous by their absence.

There used to be two weekend holidays for all schools and colleges and matinee shows were there only on Saturday afternoons and Sundays.

Four and five shows daily are a much later development. Senior citizens may be able to recollect how `Leela Mahal' was a famous landmark of the city for quite a long time.

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