The single screen cinema halls have a charm but are also facing a tough time surviving in the times we are living in. Hence, it's not uncommon to hear about such theatres shutting every now and then. The latest theatre to down its shutters is Amber Cinema of Jamanagar. It was also one of the oldest running theatres in Gujarat.
As per reports, Amber Cinema was inaugurated in 1972 and the first film to play there was the Dharmendra and Hema Malini-starrer Raja Jani. The theatre soon became popular and an indispensable part of the lives of the movie buffs of the town. The reports stated that it became difficult for the management to run a single screen in today’s times. Hence, with a heavy heart, it ceased operations on Friday, June 27. A notice board has been put up inside the premises that states ‘The theatre will remain closed from today’.
Fanaa connection In 2006, Amber Cinema made news nationwide as it screened the Aamir Khan-Kajol starrer Fanaa, the only film in Gujarat to do so. The romantic thriller was banned in the state after Aamir Khan participated in a protest led by environmentalist Medha Patkar against the Narmada Dam. Aamir’s effigies were burned across the state and realizing that there can be law and order problems and even vandalism, theatres across Gujarat decided not to play Fanaa.
The matter reached the Supreme Court which made it clear that the Gujarat government was duty-bound to provide security for multiplex owners if they sought police protection. Accordingly, on June 6, that is on the 12th day of Fanaa’s release, Amber Cinema decided to release the Yash Raj Films saga. From the archives, we have learned that on the first day, the film recorded only 30% occupancy, possibly due to fear of protests and violence. But once the public realized that there was no danger, the shows ran with full occupancy. It was said that people flocked from outside Jamnagar as well to catch the film.
On June 11, however, a man set himself on fire in the washroom of Amber Cinema to protest the screening of Fanaa. It re-ignited the protests. On June 12, the Amber Cinema decided to discontinue the film. By then, nearly 13,000 people had watched Fanaa.
Meanwhile, Pravin Joshi, the man who attempted self-immolation in Amber, passed away after battling for life in a hospital for 9 days.
Radhe connection Amber Cinema was one of the three theatres in Gujarat to play Radhe – Your Most Wanted Bhai (2021). It was released in May that year, during the height of the second wave of COVID-19, when cinemas were shut. On June 27, when the Gujarat government allowed theatres to resume operations, the management of the film released the Salman Khan-starrer. The film was available on OTT and moreover, the word of mouth was poor to average. Yet, the film managed to get around 20-90 admissions a day, which was a feat. The film ran there for nearly 20 days.
RIP single screen culture in Jamnagar With Amber shutting down, no single-screen cinema is now in operation in Jamnagar. At one point, the Gujarat town had nearly 7 theatres like Deepak, Anupam, Jayshree, Galaxy, etc. At present, three theatres, all multiplexes, are running operations - Inox Crystal Mall, Mehul Cinemas and PVR Utsav JCR Entertainment. The first two are in the city while the last one is located on the outskirts and also consists of a Drive-In theatre.
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