Raj Mandir - An Iconic Movie Experience

We all love watching movies and have been to theatres quite a few times. For most Indian families, a movie visit is nothing short of an event where the entire family will come together and make the trip to the hall to celebrate an occasion or mark a celebration. It is obviously combined with food and fun. There is a lot of planning and coaxing of parents which finally results in such a visit. So yes, movie going is nothing short of a long-awaited event.

We too have had all this fun as part of our growing up and one such destination that we looked forward to was The Raj Mandir. At that point of time in our childhood, all we knew was that it was one of the biggest theatres in the region and at times we visited it just for the sake of the theatre rather than the movie. Visitors to the city would be welcomed and offered a trip to the theatre and our childhood mind accepted that there was something special about the place. This was good enough to spark the excitement of the noble curiosity. Recently when I visited the hometown back with my wife, this somehow became the most looked forward destination.



Rajmandir is located near the MI Road area, one of the poshest areas of the city, near a junction called Panchbatti. Opened for the public in 1976, the structure has been designed to be the meringue-shaped auditorium. The vastness and opulence on a show is simply what attracts tourists at first glance. Until today, almost every show of the theatre is booked to significant capacity which is impressive considering the size and averseness of the movie goes to visit single screen theatres.

However, Rajmandir is more than just a movie experience. The place brings to you the historic era movie experience where single-screen theatres offered economical options both for movie and snacks. The prices are affordable and there is an option for every part of society to have a good time with friends and family. Interior of the hall are amazing and bring to life the opulence of the royal history that the city has been part of. The glass work, the slides, and the wall décor – all make a visit to this building worth the effort and time.



Our visit met with a similar fate. Wife was visiting the place for the first time and being from a different city was confused as what the fuss was all about. It was only when she got into the building that she realized that this was not a regular cinema visit and had a different level of nostalgia attached to it. We enjoyed the movie and the visit and spent the intermission savoring samosas and chai from the canteen – never had food this affordable in a movie theatre.
As the age is changing and we are moving into the glittered world, multiplexes have taken over the role. We have fancy malls which house one of the national chains of multiplexes where the shows are conducted as a routine affair. There are food courts which serve food at a price beyond the affordability of common person and there are facilities of a modern restaurant.