As Juhu's Chandan Cinema shuts shop; Akshay Kumar's Kesari becomes last screened film, Karan Johar express gratitude

By Gurpreet Kaur

on March 31, 2019

Juhu's popular single-screen cinema, which was built in 1974 and went on to become an integral part of Mumbai, finally shut shop on Saturday (March 29). Interestingly, Akshay Kumar and Parineeti Chopra starrer Kesari became the last film screened there and the film's team shared the news on social media. In fact, Karan Johar went down memory lane and shared how the single screen cinema screen was a 'barometer for audience reactions', stating that it was heartbreaking for him to see the end of an era.

Here's what he tweeted:

Chandan( juhu) is a cinema that I tracked ever since I can remember ! A barometer for audience reactions! Heartbreaking to see this era end! Only respite is that the last film played will have been ours! #kesariatchandan https://t.co/HjXJF9owbl

— Karan Johar (@karanjohar) March 30, 2019

Filmmaker Kunal Kohli responsed to Karan's tweet with an emotional message.

The romanticism of single screens is what drove generations of filmmakers. The new crop of filmmakers will sadly never know the magic of your film being accepted in a single screen. That connect is what we make/made films for.

— kunal kohli (@kunalkohli) March 30, 2019

For the unversed, reports of shutters coming down at Chandan cinema broke out in January this year when theatre’s manager, Bhavesh had confirmed the news to a leading daily stating, "But we will be back soon as the plan is to renovate into multiple screens." However, the daily has now quoted a source close to the development as saying, "The ground floor and first floor will have two mini-plexes with 250 seats each, with a two-storey retail outlet above. Service apartments will make up the top floors of the complex." Now with Chandan out of business, only a few vintage single screens including the Gaiety-Galaxy in Bandra, Maratha Mandir in Mumbai Central and New Excelsior in Fort, have remained in the city.

Meanwhile, Kesari hit the silver screens on March 21 and has already crossed the Rs 100 crore mark at the box-office.