It was 14 years back, in 2001, that I had entered Milan. No, this is not about Italy, but about a yesteryears' charm in India.
The Milan I am talking about belongs to a rare breed these days - the breed that once was the most flourishing business in Indian metros but is living on a ventilator since the turn of the century. To end the suspense, I'm pointing towards the alluring phenomenon called the single-screen theatres. And on Sunday, I re-visited one and came out captivated by my trip down the memory lane.
It was not a chance decision but a deliberate one, for I was in mood to add a pinch of nostalgia to Tanu weds Manu Returns, and Kangana Ranaut's performance provided just the type of garnishing my decision needed.
Not much had changed with Milan - located at New Moti Nagar in Delhi - since it dressed up in 1994 for Hum Aaapke Hainn Kaun. The only thing missing (thankfully) was the disco lights around the screen that were put up in 2001 for Gadar Ek Prem Katha. That's when, as I had mentioned, I last had my single-screen experience.
The encased 'Tonight' and 'Next Change' posters were displayed the same way as I recall when the Box Office glass was broken by the huge mob that had turned up for advance booking of Hum in 1991.
The Box Office has smartened up a bit with a bit of colour added to it. But the pink, thin-paper tickets remain and feel exactly the same as I flipped them between my fingers.
What took the cake was the feel of a gigantic theater as I leaned over from the 'Balcony' to look at the huge seating area beneath. The platform I leaned over was the same where we shook a leg on 'Choli ke peechhe kya hai' in 1993 and the Khalnayak song was repeated at the special request of a full house. Ah, those days!
There was nothing of that sort on Sunday despite a 'House Full' Balcony but only a handful of seats occupied in Lower and Upper Stall. The comments and whistles from below is what used to stir the whole theatre in good old days. That was missing and remains difficult to fill with more than 300 seats available in the stalls.
But Tanu and Kusum (Kangana), Deepak Dobriyal (Pappi ji) and Jimmy Shergill's (Raja Awasthi) one-liners ensured we had a ball despite a storyline that had a lots of flaws. Not touching that. This is not a movie review, and that's not what I do for a living.
Anyway, the only time you get slightly distracted is when sweat beads appear on you forehead and someone from behind shrieks, "AC to chala de bhai (switch on the air conditioner)." A beam of torch then tries to find who made the request and then replies: "Ek plant chal raha hai, doosra bandh hai (only one plant is working)."
A few giggles follow but no one raises the voice while wiping those pearls off. The Balcony costs just Rs. 100 with all the nostalgia you enjoy; 200 less than Fun Cinemas across the street.
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