imported>Ira Leviton: Fixed a typo found with Wikipedia:Typo_Team/moss.

2021-06-17T19:28:37Z

Fixed a typo found with Wikipedia:Typo_Team/moss.

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{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2019}}
{{Infobox theatre
| name = Plaza Theatre
| image = Plaza_Theatre_Bangalore.jpg
| image_size = 200
| caption = Plaza Theatre in Bangalore
| image_map =
| map_caption =
| pushpin_map =
| pushpin_map_caption=
| address = [[M G Road, Bangalore|M.G Road]]
| city = [[Bangalore]]
| country = [[India]]
| designation =
| coordinates = {{coord|12.9751|77.606|type:landmark|display=inline}}
| architect =
| owner =
| tenant =
| operator =
| capacity =
| type =
| opened = 1936
| yearsactive = 1936-2005
| closed = 2005
| demolished =
| currentuse = [[Namma Metro|Metro Station]]
}}

'''Plaza''' was a [[film theatre]] located in the city of [[Bangalore]], [[India]]. It used to be on M. G. Road in the [[Bangalore Cantonment]] area. It was built in 1936 and mostly screened [[Hollywood]] movies.

==History==
Arcot Narrain Swamy Mudaliar was a contractor who built many buildings in [[Bengaluru]] including the ''Attara Kacheri'' (the present premises of the [[Karnataka High Court]]).<ref name="paper">''Now it's curtains on Plaza theatre'', Print edition of ''The Times of India'', Bangalore edition, Page 3, dated 2005-03-11</ref> From the money he earned out of it, he purchased a number of properties on M. G. Road including a {{convert|17000|sqft|m2|abbr=on}}. property over which the Plaza theatre was eventually built. His grandsons, A S Krishnamoorthy and Rajamanickam Velu wanted to construct a film theatre on this property, where they were formerly running a furniture business and went to [[Great Britain]] to understand how a great film theatre should look like.<ref name="hist">{{cite web|title= Thanks... for the memory!|author=Anand Parthasarathy|work=Online Edition of The Hindu, dated 2003-09-26|url=http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/fr/2003/09/26/stories/2003092601290100.htm|accessdate=2007-09-12}}</ref> They came back and constructed Plaza theatre in the year 1936 modeling it after the [[Piccadilly Circus]] in [[London]].<ref name="hist1">{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mp/2003/05/15/stories/2003051500860300.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040829173814/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mp/2003/05/15/stories/2003051500860300.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=2004-08-29|author=Pradeep Sebastien|title=The lone ranger|accessdate=2007-09-12|location=Chennai, India|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=2003-05-15}}</ref> The first film to be screened here was ''[[The Broadway Melody]]'' in April 1936.<ref name="hist1"/> The theatre also had a wooden dance floor which was used by British soldiers for [[Ball (dance)|ball dancing]].<ref name="bd">{{cite web|url=http://www.deccanherald.com/archives/mar202005/i7.asp|work=Online Edition of The Deccan Herald, dated 2005-03-20|title=It’s curtains for Plaza theatre|accessdate=2007-09-12|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520205852/http://www.deccanherald.com/archives/mar202005/i7.asp|archivedate=2011-05-20}}</ref> Initial ticket prices ranged from eight [[Indian anna|annas]] for the front seats to 1 rupee and 12 annas for the balcony's highest seat, called ''The Dress Circle''.<ref name="curt">{{cite web|url=http://www.deccanherald.com/archives/mar282005/metro9.asp|work=Online Edition of The Deccan Herald, dated 2005-03-28|title=Curtain call for Plaza|author=Janardhan Roye|accessdate=2007-09-12|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520205921/http://www.deccanherald.com/archives/mar282005/metro9.asp|archivedate=2011-05-20}}</ref> The theatre also had a bar which served drinks to patrons who came to watch movies.

==Movies==
Movies that have been screened here include [[Hans Christian Andersen (film)|''Hans Christian Andersen'']], ''[[The Court Jester]]'', ''[[Artists and Models]]'' and ''[[The Ten Commandments (1956 film)|The Ten Commandments]]''. The latter ran for 44 straight weeks making it the longest running movie in the theatre.<ref name="mov">{{cite web|title=Final fade-out|url=http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2005/03/30/stories/2005033001270100.htm|author=Hemangini Gupta|work=Online Edition of The Hindu, dated 2005-03-30|accessdate=2007-09-12}}</ref> Loads of school children were brought to the theatre to watch this movie and a special personal screening of the movie was arranged in the year 1959 for the [[Kingdom of Mysore|Maharaja of Mysore]], [[Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar]] and his entourage.<ref name="bd"/> Initially, the theatre was associated with [[MGM Studios]] screening movies like ''[[Gone with the Wind (film)|Gone with the Wind]]'' before moving on to [[Paramount pictures]] to screen movies like ''[[Roman Holiday]]'', ''[[An Officer and a Gentleman]]'' and the [[James Bond]] movies.<ref name="mov"/>

==Closure==
[[File:Plaza theatre balcony.jpg|thumb|right|250px|View from projection room on closing day<ref name="closingpics">{{cite web|title=Plaza theatre’s last day|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/jace/sets/72157625016367081/with/5071340861/|author=Kiran Jonnalagadda|work=Flickr|accessdate=2010-10-11}}</ref>]]The last film that was screened here was ''[[Meet the Fockers]]'' on 17 March 2005. The Narrain family sold the theatre since their children, all professionals, did not wish to carry on the family business. A mining investor from Bellary purchased this property and wanted to build a shopping mall in its place. However, the [[Bangalore City Corporation]] refused permission to build a shopping mall. The land has since been acquired for the [[Bangalore Metro]] project and will house the Plaza theatre station on the East-West Corridor route.<ref name="metro">{{cite web|url=http://www.deccanherald.com/archives/feb132006/city1929532006212.asp|work=Online Edition of The Deccan Herald, dated 2006-02-13|title=Plaza to be acquired for elevated Metro station|author=Shubha Narayan|accessdate=2007-09-12|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520205927/http://www.deccanherald.com/archives/feb132006/city1929532006212.asp|archivedate=2011-05-20}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Cinemas in India]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Bangalore]]
[[Category:Theatres completed in 1936]]

Plaza Theatre (Bangalore) - Revision history

imported>Ira Leviton: Fixed a typo found with Wikipedia:Typo_Team/moss.