A VISIT TO THE CINEMA

In the swinging 1940s, going to the movies was the primary pastime in Bengaluru.

- NJ RAVI CHANDER

As colour films were still a distant dream, the black-and-white movies were all one could see. My maternal uncle, MD Umapathi, reminisces about his childhood trips to the movies with his parents and sister (my mother), and the anticipation that accompanied them.

Returning from World War II, our battle-weary grandfather, Lieutenant M Dharmalingam, and his family found accommodation in Hospital Town. The area, later renamed Jalahalli, was primarily a military medical facility consisting of army barracks used for treating wounded soldiers and Italian prisoners of war. Buses were a novelty, and jutkas were the only reliable means of transport. With no cinema halls in the area, the family sought out the cantonment (a 15-kilometre ride) for their monthly dose of entertainment.