Prabhat Theatre - A lost landmark of Old Madras

Prabhat Theatre - it's a lost landmark of Old Madras. Located on Broadway Road, this theatre and its neighbor Broadway Talkies were considered the Twin Talkies of George Town. They were like heaven on earth for the Madras Harbour workers. All hit films of yesteryear's superstars would get released here.

The city is growing faster, and the citizens of newly developed areas from OMRs and ECRs might not even know the old or the "original" Madras. George Town, the highly crowded locality, is where the city originated. This locality, Broadway, part of George Town, was planned and developed in the 1780s. Broadway, though it appears to be a misnomer today, was a prominent commercial thoroughfare in the 19th century. 

In 1897 CE, a few short clips were screened in the Victoria Hall; it was the first cinema viewing experience for the citizens of Madras. Since then, the animated photographs were regularly screened in the same venue and other places like the tents of Esplanade and the Egmore Museum Theatre. However, a permanent theatre with a well-conceived hall was opened only in 1911. It was named "Bioscope" and started by Mrs. Klug on Broadway Street. Unfortunately, it was closed down within a few months.

Inaugurated on 15th July 1940 by V Shantaram, Prabhat Cinemas was located on the Street where the city's first theatre was once. In those days, when the entire Madras was comparatively a small city, it was a well-known entertainment site. Now, it's a forgotten history. The building was demolished and replaced with a multi-storied apartment in the early 2000s.

Happy travelling.