Central Theatre

Tirunelveli is known not only for temples and Halwa, but also for movie theatres. It may be the city with the large number of die-hard fans of cinema in the entire state of Tamil Nadu. (Till the late 1990s....not anymore, though). In those days, many people of Tirunelveli Town (now the city) habitually watched movies every night, called "second shows". Every nook and corner of Tirunelveli has temples; many temple cities might match this. But, every nook and corner of Tirunelveli also has movie theatres, which no other town in Tamil Nadu can match.

Ratna, Parvati, Royal, Popular, Siva Shakti, Poornakala - there were numerous theatres in the good old days (for movie-goers, of course). If they could not get tickets in one theatre, they always had multiple alternate options within walking distance. Among all those cinema theatres, if one theatre can be called the pride of Tirunelveli, it is the Central Cinema Hall.

Constructed in a local variant of the Art deco architectural style in 1962, Central theatre, thanks to its strategic location that joints Town and Junction localities, is one of the city's most famous landmarks. For many decades, it remained the second-largest cine hall in Asia. 

There were times when MGR and Sivaji stayed here for a few days to gauge the audience's interest in their films. Director Shridhar's "Policekaran Magal" was the first movie released in this theatre. With about 2,000 seater capacity, a film running just for 30 days was considered successful.

With its unique semi-circular design of interiors and seating arrangement providing an unobstructed view, the fans fell in love with this place. The "bench class," having the lowest fare in all theatres, would literally have long benches for the audience. But Central provided better amenities, chairs where the fans could lean on. Modern technologies, cinemascope screen and lifts for the balcony seats were additional attractions. 

All stars ensured that their best movies were shown in this hall. Oli Vilakku, Pudhiya Paravai, Ulagam Suttrum Valiban, Andha Ezhu Natkal, Mundanai Mudichu, Apoorva Sagodarargal and Surya Vamsam are a few examples. Rajinikanth's "Mannan" film ran here for 150 days and created history. 

Unfortunately, the theatre is no more functioning. However, its beautiful architecture, colorful exterior, unique design, the statues of dancing girls, and the carvings of elephants lead any passers-by to halt and turn their faces towards it. It is a true "heritage" movie hall.

Happy travelling.