The other day, someone lamented that the history of Madras cinema theatres has not been well documented. I agreed. However, it also struck me that the story of the city’s playhouses has fared even worse.
I do not mean grand venues such as the Museum Theatre or Victoria Public Hall. Rather, I refer to the theatres where crowds once flocked to watch their favourite drama stars perform. After all, long before cinema captured the imagination of Madras, theatre ruled the roost.
The Temporary Theatres of Madras
One of the biggest challenges in tracing these venues is that they were rarely permanent structures. Most were tents or tin sheds erected on public or private land. Consequently, when they disappeared, they took almost all physical evidence with them. Fortunately, a few fragments survive in the writings of theatre veterans. Avvai T. K. Shanmugam, in *Enathu Nataka Vazhkai* (Vanathi Pathippagam, 1972), provides details of three such theatres—the Royal, the Grand, and the Empress.
The names sounded impressive. In reality, they were little more than tents or tin sheds. That is why such venues were commonly referred to as *kottagai* in Tamil. The dictionary defines the term as a shed with a sloping roof. Later, when cinema arrived, films were also screened in these structures. Even after permanent movie theatres appeared, people continued referring to them as *kottagai* for many years.
The Grand Theatre and Early Madras Entertainment
When Shanmugam and his brothers arrived in Madras in 1921, their father took them to the Grand Theatre in George Town, where their troupe was scheduled to perform.
Fortunately, Shanmugam also tells us where it stood. According to him, Murugan Talkies later occupied the same site. Located on St Xavier’s Street in George Town, the venue enjoyed a long association with the performing arts.
As Mohan Raman noted in *The Hindu* on December 19, 2011, the ten-ground property was first purchased by Murugesa Mudaliar and operated as a market. ater, he converted it into the Majestic Theatre. In 1921, it became the Grand Theatre.
By 1931, it had evolved into a permanent cinema hall known as Kinema Central. It achieved distinction by screening *Mahakavi Kalidas*, the first talkie in which Tamil was heard. In 1948, it was renamed Sri Murugan Talkies and acquired its Art Deco façade. Eventually, the building was demolished in 2011.
The Empress, Royal, and Other Madras Playhouses
When the troupe’s contract at the Grand Theatre ended, performances shifted to the Empress Theatre. Shanmugam records that the Star Theatre of Thiruvallikeni later rose on the same site. From there, the troupe moved to the Royal Theatre, which he says stood near Salt Cotaurs.
My own guess is that it occupied the junction of Wall Tax Road and Peddunaicken Street, where Padmanabha Talkies later emerged. Today, the Star Theatre survives as a derelict shell. Padmanabha Talkies, however, has disappeared and made way for a block of flats.
The Esplanade Theatre and Parsi Drama in Madras
Other sources reveal that a similar tented theatre operated in the late nineteenth century on the site where the Law College was later built. This was the Esplanade Theatre, a popular venue for Parsi drama. Although the language was unfamiliar to many viewers, audiences loved the productions. The quality of staging, music, and rapid scene changes proved irresistible.
Moreover, these productions apparently pioneered the parallel comedy track. Later, theatre stars such as N. S. Krishnan carried that tradition into cinema.
The Mystery of the Wall Tax Theatre
At least the locations mentioned above can still be identified with some certainty. The Wall Tax Theatre, however, remains a mystery. Also known as the Otrai Vadai Theatre, it has almost vanished from memory.
No one seems able to pinpoint its exact location on Wall Tax Road. Yet everyone agrees that its rear wall bordered the railway tracks. Trains approaching Central Station frequently sounded their horns. Naturally, this often disrupted dialogue delivery during performances.
According to T. K. S. Kalaivanan, son of Avvai Shanmugam, appeals to the railway authorities achieved little. Eventually, however, a quiet word with an engine driver who happened to be a theatre enthusiast solved the problem. After that, the trains stopped hooting.
Theatres, Tram Lines, and Working-Class Madras
Stephen Hughes, who has carried out extensive research on the cinema history of Madras, notes that most movie theatres in North Madras were built along tram routes. Accessibility was the key factor. Interestingly, the earlier playhouses followed the same pattern.
All four venues mentioned above stood either beside tram stops or within easy reach of them.Another shared feature was the box office. Unlike the theatres of Mount Road and South Madras, these venues had no driveways or parking spaces. The ticket counter formed part of the theatre building itself.
This arrangement was inherited directly from the drama theatres. Most patrons simply purchased a ticket and walked in. Even later cinema halls built in working-class neighbourhoods followed the same model, whether or not they stood on former theatre sites.
A Question About Madras Theatre Traditions
This raises an intriguing question. Were these playhouse sites once locations where street theatre had been performed? If so, what an extraordinary example of continuity that would be.
This article appeared in The Hindu–https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/theatres-for-the-masses-in-madras/article71107579.ece
My book, Chennai, A Biography can be ordered–http://My book, Chennai, A Biography can be ordered-https://sriramv.com/2021/12/27/how-to-buy-autographed-copies-of-chennai-a-biography-from-outstation/20.ece
