This was one of the first assignments I photographed when I joined the photo team of Mybangalore.com, a portal covering news and lifestyle features from the Southern City of Bangalore. 

I did this story more than ten years ago in 2010. Also, this was the time when I was just trying to find my footing as a full-time photographer. Built in 1896 in Bangalore, Elgin Talkies in Shivaji Nagar was the oldest talkies in the whole of South India then. Passed down through four generations, the place still exudes old-world Bangalore charm..

Elgin Talkies was not just special for the time that it was built in Circa 1896, but also how, despite the mushrooming of a slew of multiplexes in the city, the cinema house continued to proudly screen shows. With four shows daily, and three movies being screened every week, Elgin Talkies was doing what it does the best – entertaining people. Constructed in the year 1896 by Veerabhadra Mudaliar, the theatre was being looked after by the fourth generation owner – A.S. Krishnamurthy.

Built for theatre shows initially, the place was converted into a talkie later by Natesa Mudaliar, grandfather of Krishnamurthy. During its 115-year history, Elgin Talkies had seen all changes cinema itself had undergone. The Talkies finally downed shutters in December 2011. 

The first post in this blog deserved a bit of nostalgia after all. 

#nostalgia #bangalore #theater