Sujata Cinema - the oldest single-screen theatre in capital Ranchi that was being revamped into a multicrore multiplex and was scheduled for reopening in a month - was badly charred in a big fire early on Friday morning.
A failure in an electrical circuit is suspected to have triggered the first spark, which escalated into an inferno apparently because of inflammable materials at the almost-ready two-screen plex.
The cinema, in a residential-cum-commercial area along Mahatma Gandhi Road or Main Road, is tucked between 200-odd homes and a private hotel, dotted with another two dozen makeshift shops. Fortunately, timely intervention of blaze fighters from Doranda fire station, a kilometre away, ensured that the leaping flames spared nearby establishments.
Fire officer R.K. Singh said they were informed around 7am, but the old hall and upcoming multiplex might have been burning for at least sometime before local residents noticed the billowing smoke. "We pressed four fire tenders into service and things were brought under control after two hours," Singh said.
Fire department sources said both the new screens - one boasting 100 seats and the other 60 - were completely gutted in the fire. Extensive damage prompted officials to keep the site out of bounds for mediapersons and curious onlookers.
Sujata Cinema, which came into spotlight in the Seventies, is owned by Ranchi entrepreneur Dushyant Jaiswal who had planned to relaunch the theatre in a new avatar to keep up with the changing times and stay relevant in business.
"Two screens were coming up. They were to be called Sujata and mini-Sujata," Jaiswal told this newspaper, adding that work was underway since late last year and they would have been ready to launch in another month or so. He, however, was too crestfallen to count his losses yet.
One of Jaiswal's member of staff, who was present at the site during the tragedy, said investments to the tune of Rs 30-40 crore were made to give Sujata Cinema a multiplex makeover.
Doranda fire officer Singh said a short circuit was the possible reason behind the fire, but a detailed probe was awaited. "We were told that there was a short circuit. We haven't yet located the point of origin within the hall. Owners and people associated with the cinema aren't very much forthcoming at the moment. Tomorrow (Saturday), our team will inspect the site again to find out the exact cause of the fire," he said.
Singh maintained that the damage was extensive primarily because of inflammable décor. "The chairs are mostly made of foam. Then, there were carpets. These are highly inflammable items," he said, adding that the marbled walls were also badly charred.
Starring Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan, Namak Haraam, which released in 1973, was the first film to be screened at Sujata Cinema that debuted the same year.
"It was our weekend haunt when we were students. We had fought for tickets in the queue when Sholay released in 1975. I had ditched a date with a famous circus to watch the film at the theatre," Sushant Sinha, who runs a mobile phone store on Main Road, said with a surge of nostalgia. "In those days, marriages were made at the cinema," he quipped.
Raj Sinha, a government employee, recalled how his friends and he went to Sujata Cinema on the pretext of visiting the British Library, which was bang opposite to the hall.
"My father often grilled me if I was going to British Library or Sujata Library. I have watched films like Sholay, Namak Haraam, Kranti and even DDLJ there. What a tragedy to lose such a landmark to fire," Sinha said.
