Where I saw What

 Maheswari -the first theatre with an escalator in Hyderabad. I saw Namak Halaal there, and a few others. At Tarakarama next door, saw Don- the Amitabh starrer.

At Vikranti, Jambagh, I saw Patthar Ke Sanam in a rerun that was housefull. Anand I saw at Navrang- also Damaad, starring Amol Palekar, a few years later.

Anari at Manohar theatre, Secunderabad. Maya Memsaab and many English films at Sangeet, Secunderabad. Chitchor at Ramakrishna 35 mm, and Sholay at 70 mm.

Mission Kashmir I saw at Jaipur in the famous theatre- Rajmahal? Paheli with Namita Chandra at Royal, Sultan bazaar, Hyderabad. Qurbaani and Mohra at Venkateswara in Kacheguda. 

Hum Tum, at Kochi while on a visit. Main Hoon Na, at Calicut, while working there. Andha Kanoon at Delhi's Uphaar. 

Jewel Thief at Kothagudem, A.P. Rama Talkies, most likely. DDLJ at Davangere, when I was at Harihar. Many Govinda films too, like Bade Miya Chhote Miya and Haseena Maan jayegi. 

Movies and Memories

Where I saw a film..sometimes, these are finely etched memories. I saw Jewel Thief for the first time when we lived in Kothagudem, my birthplace in A.P. Abhinetri, Hathi Mere Sathi and Hare Rama Hare Krishna  in Bellampalli.(a pic of the railway station below).

Sholay (and Guns of Navarone, and Shareef Badmash), at Ramakrishna 70 mm. in Hyderabad. Chitchor at Ramakrishna 35 mm. Don at Tarakarama, and Namak Halaal at Maheshwari 70 mm. Mohra at Venkataramana. Karz at Santosh. Silent Movie (Mel Brooks) and The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu in Srinivasa, Narayanguda. Where Eagles Dare at Farheen 70 mm. Ijaazat at Zamarrud. Khel Khel Mein at Skyline. Lawrence of Arabia and Star Wars at Sangeet, Secunderabad. Darr at Manju, Secunderabad. Paheli at Royal. The Pink Panther series, Murder on the Orient Express at Liberty, Hyderabad.

DDLJ at Davangere. Akele Hum Akele Tum at Harihar. Sharaabi at Delhi. Love 86 in Mumbai in 1986. Mungaaru Male (Kannada film) at Bangalore.

Baazigar, and much later, Shivaji, the Boss (Rajnikant) at Nagpur. Mission Kashmir at Rajmahal in Jaipur. Chandni Chowk to China at Amritsar (!!). Taraana while visiting an aunt at Satna (M.P.). 

In the U.S., A Fish Called Wanda, The Naked Gun, Dick Tracy. One Bond film (don't remember which one).

Finding Fanny in Indore. Bahubali also. Masaan in Mumbai. Chennai Express at Trichy.

Theatres in Hyderabad

I saw a lot of movies while growing up in Hyderabad. This is a tribute to the theatres I saw them in.

Sangeet was an upmarket theatre in Secunderabad, that mostly screened English films. Lawrence of Arabia, The Poseidon Adventure, Patton, are some films that I saw there.

Ramakrishna 70 mm was a grand theatre near Abids in Hyderabad. Guns of Navarone was one film I vividly rember seeing there. And Sholay in 70 mm, a visual treat. Sanjeev Kumar's voice sounded fantastic on their sound system. The 35 mm cousin is where I saw Rajnigandha, and Chitchor. I think Shareef Badmash too.

Ashok, Navrang and Vikranti were all on the same road, in Jambagh. Saw many movies there, including Anand, Agent Vinod, and Patthar ke Sanam. Damaad too, an Amol Palekar comedy.

Farheen was a 70 mm theatre, where I saw Where Eagles Dare with Richard Burton and Clint eastwood-magnificient. Zamarrud nearby, is where I saw Ijaazat, and Phandebaaz, a Dharmendra comedy.

Venkatesa is one near Kacheguda that I saw Mohra in- the Raveena-Akshay movie of the Tu cheez badi hai mast mast fame. Another theatre in that area was Maheswari, with an escalator as its claim to fame, where I saw Namak Halaal. I saw Don in Tarakarama, next to Maheswari.

Palace was another old theatre, and Lighthouse, housed in a  dilapidated building. Plaza in Secuunderabad was also an old style building, where I saw a few Western films, with Cowboys and blazing guns.

Manju in Secunderabad was where I remember seeing Darr. Tu mere samne, main tere samne..