Sambalpur, Feb. 15: The demolition of the Ashoka Talkies starts tomorrow. The 50-year-old movie theatre held its last show today.
Ashoka Infinity Private Limited, the company that has taken over the property, organised the special screening of Amitabh Bachchan-starrer Bhootnath for the film lovers of the city.
Sources said that a shopping mall along with an entertainment complex would be built in its place.
Filmgoers, residents and students of the city thronged the theatre for the last time and bid adieu to the theatre, which was one of the best cinemas of western Odisha at the time of its establishment.
Siddharth Saha, one of the promoters of the company, said: 'It has been a landmark. The demolition was a painful decision to make. However, change is inevitable.'
The theatre was established in 1964. Dilip Kumar-starrer Dil Diya Dard Liya was the first movie to be screened here.
'I had watched my first movie at the Ashoka Talkies in 1965. I had watched Gumnam with my mother. It was one of the best theatres when it was established. Film lovers from places such as Jharsuguda, Bargarh would come here to watch movies,' said Radheshyam Verma a 51-year-old film lover.
'I joined as an operator in this theatre way back in 1984 and I have been working here ever since. I have seen the crowd here. I have seen the long queues of film lovers in front of the ticket counters. I have also seen the place running with a handful of audience. The closure has been extremely painful for me,' said Surendra Kumar Dev, an operator at the Ashoka Talkies.
Laxmi Talkies and Gaiety Talkies were the only two cinema halls in the city when the Ashoka Talkies was established. However, because of the advanced sound system, the Ashoka Talkies would invariably draw a huge crowd on a regular basis.
'The Gaiety Talkies was demolished a few years ago to make way for a complex. And now, the Ashoka Talkies will meet the same fate. People will not get to see movie posters in front the theatre anymore. However, they will cherish the fond memories of the hall even when it will be demolished,' said city resident Ajaya Mohanty.
