Decades-old 'tent Kottai' at Puttutakku continues to be a big hit
Vellore:
There is no air conditioning, no plush seats, no multiple screens or caramel popcorns but this modest old-time theatre at Puttuthakku, which is about 13 kms from Vellore City, is a big hit among movie-goers in this part of the district.
Ganesh theatre tucked away from the busy Chennai-Bengaluru National Highway is no regular theatre but is one of the last few “tent kottai” that carries the tradition of touring talkies in the State. It is probably the only "tent kottai" still in business in the state.
Though revamped to suit the expectations of today’s audience without compromising on its traditional look, the movie-goers still get to sit on sand and watch movies on the screen with clarity on par with multiplex theatres elsewhere in the City.
With two shows at 6.15 pm and 9.15 pm everday, the kottai continues to receive patronage from a good number of movie watchers from villages, towns and the city located in around 15 kms radius.
The kottai was opened in the early 70s, with Rs 25 paisa for ‘tharai’ ticket (filled with sand), Rs 50 paisa for bench ticket and Rs 1 for chair ticket. “I was running the tent from 1982. It is giving me happiness and satisfaction as I am able to entertain the people,” said 65 year-old Ganeshan, the proud owner of the Kottai. Three to five years once, the license should be renewed to run the kottai.
Two winters ago, the tent switched over to digital cinema server from the conventional model to screen crystal clear movie. However, the ticket price remains affordable at Rs 20, Rs 30 and Rs 50.
It attracted 600 to 800 persons for each show during its heyday. The tent wore festival look when movies of MGR, Sivaji, Kamal and Rajinikanth screen, recollected Rajendiran, who ran a canteen in the tent for 20 years.
Though the penetration of cable televisions and the onslaught of 24X7 movie channels on the theatre industry forced several tents to close down, Ganesh theatre continues to receive good patronage from movie lovers from the villages, towns like Arcot and Walajapet and Vellore City till date.
Watching movie sitting on the mounted sand or stretching oneself on the ground is what many of the regular customers of the tent enjoy here. Surprisingly, many youngsters are among the regulars to the tent. “We come twice in a month here. We enjoy the movie, get snacks and return home without burning our purses,” said Mohammed Asif from Melvisharam. He along with five of his friends had come to watch a movie.
“It is an unmatched experience to watch a movie here,” said 54 year-old T R Raman, a businessman from Tiruvalam that is about six kms from thetent. For Raman, watching movies along with his childhood friends at the tent on Sundays is a routine for over 25 years.
“My sons living in Chennai also love to watch movie at the tent whenever they come home,” he said while watching actor Siddharth- starred Aval movie.
Sankarlingam from Tirunelveli district, who has been working in the upcoming campus of CMC Hospital at Kannigapuram, has become regular to thetent for the last one year. “It is pleasant to watch movies here. I come here twice a week to watch movies,” he said./eom/shan/
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