Shankar Talkies to return as Tantha Polis Cinema
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, November 15 2022:
Shankar Talkies at Lamphel which used to be one of the busiest cinema halls in Imphal and run five shows of movies almost everyday is all set to return as Tantha Polis Cinema with a standard similar to that of PVR Cinemas in December and give the cinema hall a second chance.
The Tantha Entertainment Private Limited Company which operates Tantha Polis Cinema has two directors viz Bryan Akoijam and Samir Salam.
Speaking to The Sangai Express, Samir Salam said that the renovation works of Shankar Talkies has been going on since the last four months in full swing by taking the old cinema hall on lease from its owner who is a resident of Pishumthong Nongthombam Leirak.
Saying that the cinema hall has been renamed as Tantha Polis Cinema and it will have single screen and Dolby 7.1 surround sound system with a seating capacity of 350 , Samir continued that seats at Tantha Polis Cinema are adjustable.
Apart from these, air conditioning devices will also be installed, he added.
Further stating that the cinema hall will screen both Manipuri and international films including 3D movies, he maintained that the price of movie tickets will be in the range of Rs 200 to Rs 1500.Samir went on to state that the cinema hall will also give the facility for purchasing snacks and other edible items.
The cinema hall will screen three to four movies a day, he said and added that the last show will be screened at 9 pm every Saturday as the law and order situation in Manipur has improved considerably.
Maintaining that there will be a parking facility too, Samir stated that Tantha Polis Cinema currently has 15 staff and more will be recruited.
"Earlier, we planned to inaugurate the cinema hall on November 21 but it was delayed due to certain problems," Samir said.
He continued that a film of Romi Meetei will be screened on the day of inauguration free of cost while in the evening Gladiator, a historical epic from director Ridley Scott will be screened.
"Equipment of the hall were bought from Germany and some Indian States," Samir added.
The Sangai Express also interacted with the chairman of Film Forum Manipur (FFM) Laimayum Surjakanta and discussed the disappearance of cinema halls in Manipur.
Surjakanta said that the Shankar Talkies was established in 1980 and the first film it screened was Hindi film 'Kranti' .
Saying that the price of movie tickets during that time started from just Re 1 and the most expensive was sold at Rs 5, the FFM chairman maintained that Shankar Talkies used to screen Manipuri, Hindi and English films.
He opined that the number of cinema goers started to dwindle after all the cinema halls started to screen Manipuri films only.
Continuing that many of the cinema halls in Manipur have shut business due to financial constraint or other reasons, Surjakanta maintained that the State currently has only about 24 cinema halls which are operational.
Surjakanta went on to mention that there is a cinema hall at Vishal Shopping Mall at Kakwa with PVR standard and seating capacity of 180.Opining that Manipuri films will disappear "if we still follow the old method of screening," he maintained that entities like Tantha taking a bold step to give cinemas of Manipur a second chance with the use of modem technology is welcome as it will also give employment opportunities to many youth.
"The advent of mobile phones and inability of the Manipur film industry to cope with the changes is also one reason for the downfall of Manipur cinemas," he added.
Further stating the culture of cinema halls will be hopefully revived if the endeavour of Tantha is successful, Surjakanta expressed desire for the Government to assist in promoting Manipuri cinemas.