Notedly, Kolkata holds the distinction of building India’s first permanent cinema hall, the Elphinstone Picture Palace (later renamed Chaplin Cinema) in 1907. While Mumbai is recognized as the heart of modern Bollywood, Kolkata introduced the nation to organized cinema viewing.
To understand the country’s cinematic roots, it helps to distinguish amid the first venues and the first films.
Built in 1907 in Kolkata by pioneer Jamshed Framji Madan, the Elphinstone Picture Palace was the country’s first purpose-built, permanent theatre dedicated exclusively to motion pictures. It was later renamed Chaplin Cinema before being demolished in 2013.
While Kolkata built the first hall, Mumbai holds the title for the first full-length Indian feature film. Dadasaheb Phalke’s Raja Harishchandra premiered at the Coronation Cinematograph in the Girgaon neighborhood of Mumbai in 1913.
News Edit KV Raman
