RX100 lelo, girl friend ko pakdo, Sangeeth chalo, bajoo snack bar mein root beer piyo aur picture dekho. That was one of the favorite dates in 90s. In fact, Sangeeth is more than a cinema and more than a landmark. It is a feel which gives great relaxation to movie lovers.
The theatre has seen viewers of 3 generations and screened movies of different genres. Patrons include professionals, students and students-turned-directors. Still there is an opinion among the movie buffs ‘if you are unsure of the movie what to watch and where to watch, just go to Sangeeth’. It is the option which never lets you down with the movie you are about to watch, with the audience or with the ambience.
For college students, even sitting on the compound wall, or sipping hot tea in the Irani Hotel beside the theatre and watching ‘colors’ was favorite pastime. Before the easy money flew into the city market with SW boom and the entry of MNCs, employees and middle aged moviegoers used to spend the winter-evenings in the glitters of Sangeeth X roads for hours.
Jaisa management…vaisa audience
Sangeeth is one of the theatres in twin cities like Sterling-Skyline, Anand, Kumar etc which used to dedicate to offer the best with good sound system, courteous staff, blockbusters, offbeat movies with great passion to exhibit movies, they used to feel proud of doing so and an honor in the society and entertainment industry.
One could find some realistic minds and eclectic personalities among the audience enjoying air conditioned theatre, biting sandwich or egg puffs or walking through the sloped aisles lazily before the movie starts. Days were not so hectic, traffic was not that nightmarish and there was a value for the money spent on a ticket, privilege to watch in that cinema.
Discerning cinema buffs continued to throng the place from different corners even after modern theatres and mulitplexes sprung up in other parts for the sheer pleasure of watching a movie here. There are plenty of reasons for that. Same quality of movie is available for Rs.35/- for what they spend around Rs.100/- at so called multiplexes.
Refreshments with good quality are available at no extra charge. One has to taste the coffee over here, for which you hardly pay 8 bucks. You may not find staff in uniform, marble floor outside the theatre. But one can definitely find a respect filled voice on the other end when you go for tele booking. Of course the company of gentle audience!
Why English or Hindi
Whatever the reason might me, the screening of Hollywood movies, Hindi and Hinglish movies has always been worked well with this theatre. Secunderabad is a city more cosmopolitan than Hyderabad. That could be one of the reasons made Sangeeth unique and exhibitor of foreign movies and selective Hindi movies. Now, even Hindi Cinema also got its own presentation and technical strength.
Broken Arrow, Brave Heart, Titanic etc were some of the best movies out of numerous flicks I watched on that screen. After a gap of more than 8 years I went to the theatre to watch Chak De, only to find the quality they maintain is unchanged.
Sekhar’s experience with Sangeeth
Sekhar Kammula has great experience with this place. Sekhar had no idea of post-production, he had no idea as to where he should register his movie, he had no idea how to find a distributor and whom to show the screening to get a distributor to buy it, when he produced ‘Dolor Dreams’.
The movie had more of English than Hindi/Telugu and he thought of registering the name under a English movie. He didn’t know that if he had registered the movie as a Telugu movie he would have cut a lot of cost, but he learnt. He learnt the hard way. He did not get distributors who would buy the reels. He went to the manager of Sangeet theatre and paid money to the theatre owner to rent his theatre for one show a day for three days. One noon show for three days.
He was pretty damn sure that if at least 100 people watch his movie, by the word of mouth it would run. That was what happened exactly. People loved the movie; the movie was lapped by youngsters more.
Then he had distributors queued up. He made a small amount of profit on the movie. The movie won him the prestigious National award for the best debutant director. That is how Sangeeth gives a push to innovative ideas.
New look with 4 screens
Now Sangeet is ready to transform itself into a swanky multiplex. In tune with the changing times, the theatre management has decided to demolish the existing structure and build a complex with four screens, mall and eating joints while providing ample parking place.
“With the concept of multiplexes gaining momentum, we have also decided to transform our theatre,” explained Akshat Misra of Sangeet theatre. The Fire-Services Department has also accorded permission for the project.
Mr. Misra assured that same quality would be maintained in the future too. Assistance of architects from Singapore was taken. But, the multiplex will come into being by 2009.
· Constructed in 1969, the cinema hall that has been synonymous with quality entertainment being the first to install Ultra Stereo Optical Sound in 1994, Digital Theatre System in 1995 and later the Xenon Lamp Projection with Platter System.
· Hollywood’s “Camelot” was the first film screened in the theatre
· Bollywood blockbuster ‘Hum Aapke Hain Kaun’ released in 1994 was screened for one year in morning shows!
· “Jurassic Park, Titanic, Lagaan…” and many other blockbuster releases saw weeks of advance booking here.
· The theatre land was on lease for 40 years before the existing management purchased it in 2003.
Since then, they have been making plans to build a modern complex and the first one proposed in association with a foreign firm three years ago fell through.
Sangeet theatre, an important landmark in Secunderabad, will soon be replaced with a multiplex.
It sounds hard to Hyderabadis who are accustomed to this theatre. Some moviegoers are also feeling that they would miss the pleasure of meeting their buddies at Sangeeth and spending good time and enjoying the place lest the attention on patrons comes down and everything gets commercialized. But, let’s hope cult-Sangeeth remains forever!
