Kolkata's heritage single screen theatre Mitra shut down due to financial crisis

After Elite, another heritage single screen theatre in Kolkata, Mitra cinema has been shut down this month. In a recent interview with The Times Of India, the proprietor of the single screen theatre, Dipen Mitra said that he was facing various problems which pushed him to take the step.

Dipen had reportedly invested Rs20 lakh in order to renovate the theatre, but his recurring health issues created hurdles in the process.

“A lot of people are writing on social media that Mitra is turning into a shopping mall, but the fact is, I haven’t sold the theatre yet. These days rumours spread fast,” stated the veteran exhibitor. He also mentioned that the Akshay Kumar and Parineeta Chopra-starrer Kesari was the last film to be screened in the theatre.

Kaushik Ganguly’s National Award-winning film Nagarkirtan was also running in the theatre till the last month. The director said, “I have been to Mitra for many films. I visited the theatre during the screening of Drishtikone as well. Every time I went there, he (Dipen Mitra) would treat me to cutlets,” reflected the director.

“The fact is, single screens are losing out to multiplexes in Kolkata. They can’t give the wholesome experiences that the multiplexes can now give,” he rued. According to Ganguly, the multiplexes in Kolkata give the false feeling of a Singapore trip. He sincerely hopes that the theatre opens soon.