Formerly known as Variety Hall Cinema, Delite Theatre was inaugurated in 1914 by Samikannu Vincent and his brothers.
The iconic Delite Theatre in Coimbatore rings down the curtain. (Supplied)
Delite Theatre, the first permanent theatre of South India, has switched off its projectors forever. The century-old theatre won’t screen films anymore. It is time for the iconic theatre to say goodbye to its patrons.
Coimbatore, located over 500 km from Chennai — the capital of Tamil Nadu, is now emerging as a prominent South Indian town.
Interestingly, the city had the first permanent theatre even as Chennai, then known as Madras, had a vast Cinema history with the whole South Indian industry based out there.
Coimbatore now boasts over 10 multiplexes and several single-screen theatres, which were renovated accordingly to the new movie-watching culture.
The city also has an IMAX screen and an EPIQ screen, introduced by QUBE content providers at the newly opened Broadway Cinemas.
The first cinema theatre in #SouthIndia #DeliteTheatre on Variety Hall Road in #Coimbatore, a little over a century old is finally closing down as demolishing works begin! It is curtains for the theatre which used to screen old MGR, Sivaji & Rajinikanth film prints! pic.twitter.com/B3OYbQajIo
— Sreedhar Pillai (@sri50) February 10, 2024
Inside the Delite Theatre. (Supplied)
Delite Theatre, formerly known as Variety Hall Talkies, was inaugurated in Coimbatore in 1914 by Samikannu Vincent and his brothers.
Vincent and his brothers owned touring talkies or “tent kottai” which they carried while travelling to Tirupur, Trichy, Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Malaysia, and Singapore.
During the early days of Variety Hall Talkies, the theatre screened silent films.
According to historians, movies of that time were of short duration and were screened via cinema reels.
At a time when there was no electricity in the Coimbatore municipality, Vincent—a visionary, imported a generator from Europe and installed electric lights in his theatre.
During its peak times, the Variety Hall Talkies screened films of Tamil actors MG Ramachandran, Sivaji Ganeshan, Rajinikanth, and Kamal Hassan, to mention a few. Enter the Dragon (1973) and Sholay (1975) were some of the popular films screened at the cinema hall.
Interestingly, new movies were never screened here for over 15 years. Indeed, the theatre used an old analogue projector and old prints to screen the old movies till the time it was closed.
As times changed, new theatres were set up in Coimbatore, and the Variety Hall Talkies had to upgrade its technology—projection and sound, but it did not change with the changing times.
Posters of old films put up on the walls of the Delite Theatre. (supplied)
The posters of old films put up on the walls of the theatre located on Variety Hall Road in Coimbatore still turn the passersby nostalgic.
Though the cinema hall screened looked for its survival, interestingly, people visited it out of their love for old films. For those patrons, it was nostalgia and a celebration of Black-and White films, cinemascope, and 70 MM flicks.
In Tamil Nadu, many cinema halls screen the old films of MGR, Sivaji Ganeshan, and Rajinikanth since those ventures still enjoy a set of audiences.
There were times when people sat on the floor in the touring talkies to watch the shows. Then came benches and a balcony section. These were replaced by a first-class section in the later years.
As per news reports, in the 1960s, Variety Hall Talkies was sold to Kochi-based traders and its name was changed to Delite Theatre.
The movie hall was then operated on the lease agreement. But it was never renovated.
South India’s first permanent cinema theatre “Delite Theatre” , formerly known as Variety Hall Talkies in #Coimbatore being demolished on Friday. The theatre was established in 1914 by Samikannu Vincent, a clerk in Railways. 📽: @peri_periasamy / @THChennai pic.twitter.com/8Ntmmvd79z
— Periasamy M (@peri_periasamy) February 9, 2024
The ongoing demolition works at the Delite Theatre. (Supplied)
Delite Theatre initially had four shows. But in the end, they were reduced to two.
The pandemic-induced lockdowns and a change in film-watching preferences of audiences, particularly after the advent of OTT, took a toll on the business.
At times when many single-screen theatres across the country are still reeling under the COVID-19 losses and eventually shutting their businesses, it may not be shocking that Tamil Nadu’s century-old theatre in Coimbatore brought down the curtains.
According to trade experts, during the Pongal season, two major releases — Ayalaan and Captain Miller — could not keep the expected momentum at the box office. Following this, a few theatres cancelled the morning shows.
Delite Theatre was closed around nine months ago. Rajinikanth’s Manithan (2016) was the last movie screened at the cinema hall.
Meanwhile, the demolition works of the theatre commenced last week. A commercial complex will replace the iconic building in future.
While this certainly brings an end to an era, the show must go on!
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