Patna: Arthshila Patna is hosting a special exhibition titled Dastaan-e-Patna Talkies, curated by Rajiv Soni, highlighting the cinematic and cultural history of Patna through archival material, photographs and historical narratives linked to the city’s iconic cinema halls.
The exhibition brings together rare photographs, vintage cinema tickets, posters, newspaper advertisements, handbills and archival documents to trace the evolution of film culture in Patna and the role cinema halls played in shaping the city’s social life.
Revisiting Patna’s Historic Cinema Halls
The exhibition documents the stories of several landmark theatres, including Elphinstone Cinema, Regent Cinema, Rupak Cinema, Pearl Cinema, Veena Cinema, Ashok Cinema, Diana Cinema and Krishna Talkies.
According to the exhibition notes, these theatres once functioned as important cultural landmarks where audiences gathered not only for films but also for shared social experiences.
Elphinstone Cinema, later known as Mona, is presented as one of Patna’s oldest theatres, witnessing the transition from silent films to major commercial successes such as the Sangam and Sholay.
Regent Cinema, founded in 1929 by zamindar Kailash Bihari Sinha, became known for screening mythological films and introducing the “two shows in one ticket” format.
Rupak Cinema, established in 1947, featured a women-managed “Chachi Section”, while Veena Cinema gained historical significance for hosting the premiere of the first Bhojpuri film, Ganga Maiya Tohe Piyari Chadhaibo, on February 22, 1963.
Tracing Indian Cinema’s Early Legacy
The exhibition also revisits the origins of Indian cinema through the work of Jamshedji Framji Madan and Madan Theatres Ltd., one of the earliest and largest film production and exhibition companies in the subcontinent.
At its peak, Madan Theatres operated 127 cinemas across the region, including Patna’s Elphinstone Cinema, according to exhibition records.
Impact Of Technology And Policy Changes
The exhibition further examines the socio-economic and technological changes that affected single-screen theatres in Bihar.
Curator Rajiv Soni notes that the 1985 Bihar Sales Tax amendment, which taxed cinema halls based on seating capacity rather than ticket sales, significantly affected theatre operations. The exhibition also points to the emergence of VCRs, CDs, DVDs, satellite television, multiplexes and OTT platforms as factors that altered cinema-viewing habits over the decades.
Preserving Cultural Memory
Organisers describe the exhibition as an effort to preserve the fading memory of Patna’s single-screen cinema culture and the collective experiences associated with it.
Through memorabilia and archival displays, Dastaan-e-Patna Talkies attempts to document a period when cinema halls functioned as central public spaces that connected communities through film and shared cultural experiences.
