Left to right: Proprietors of Eastern Talkies Movie Theater, Jempongchiten, Imnachungshi, Bendangtemsu Soya and the MTBA Youth Director Temnameren inside the theater on Friday July 8, 2011. (Photo courtesy/ Sashi Jamir)
Mokokchung | July 8 : If you go asking about the days gone by in Mokokchung, the senior citizens who have lived here during the seventies and eighties would narrate wonderful stories and include their experiences at Cosmos Hall and Eastern Talkies, popularly called Eastern Cinema Hall and Cosmos Cinema Hall. They would put a smile on their face talk about how they enjoyed the movies in the cinema hall, the frequent fights while buying tickets and so on and so forth. These two cinema halls have been closed down during the nineties; today the popular Cosmos Hall is converted into a restaurant cum entertainment hall, and the ‘Eastern Cinema Hall’ into a mall called Subong Shopping Mall. Ever since the closing of the two cinema halls in the town, the citizens of Mokokchung were left dreaming for a movie theater where they can watch good movies on the big screen, until now. Well, it’s not exactly a big screen like that of the regular cinema halls, but much bigger than the idiot box at home, and finally the citizens of Mokokchung can watch movies in an air-conditioned room at the Eastern Talkies movie theater. It can be termed a new leash of life for the movie bluffs in Mokokchung, with the opening of a movie theater at Subong Shopping Mall here today. The cinema hall turned Subong Shopping Mall houses a lot of shops; amidst the shops on the top floor the Eastern Talkies houses the theater. Though smaller than that the erstwhile Eastern Talkies cinema hall, the movie theater has many improvements conforming to the modern times. The air-conditioned hall has a seating capacity of eighty viewers; smoking and chewing of paan inside the hall is strictly prohibited. The nine by nineteen feet LCD projector screen and Dolby Digital sound system promises to ensure watching high definition movies a wonderful experience.
The theater is a joint venture of local entrepreneurs Jongpongchiten, Imnajungshi and Bendangtemsu Soya, who invested a lot for the past two years in their enterprise. They disclosed receiving assistance from the Chief Minister of Nagaland, Neiphiu Rio and the Allahabad Bank Mokokchung Branch. The electronic gadgets, equipments and all have been arranged by Audio Garage, Dimapur. Adjacent to the theater, near the ticket counter, there is a small restaurant where the owners is planning to install a popcorn and beverages counter for the movie watchers to buy snacks and beverages like cold-drinks, tea and coffee.
The owners disclosed that they plan to screen three shows per day all days except on Sunday. On Sundays, the movies will be screened only after the church service. Both English and Hindi movies will be screened; the first show will be on 11:30 am, second show on 3 pm and the last show at 5 pm. The tickets for the first, second and third shows are priced at Rs 50, Rs 80 and Rs 100 respectively.
Saying that the theater is aimed at the welfare of the people of Mokokchung, the owners made a strong appeal to the citizens to maintain decency inside the theater and to respect the rules of the theater. Significantly, they informed that groups like Cadet Club or social organization who want to utilize the theater for screening of special movies for special occasions would be given the opportunity to hire the theater at special discount rates. Meanwhile, the Mokokchung Town Baptist Church (MTBA) Youth Director, Temnameren said a special prayer before the opening of the movie theater. Thereafter, the true story movie “Five Days of War” was screened as a special treat for the local reporters, guests and well-wishers who attended the opening.
A walk to the past
Among the guests today present at the opening of the Eastern Talkies movie theater was prominent Mokokchung I Temsu Jamir, the proprietor of the Mokokchung Channel, who said that he was watching a movie in a theater after more than 22-23 years. Expressing his nostalgia, Temsu Jamir narrated use to watch movies like Enter the Dragon (Bruce Lee’s Movie) Love Story etc repeatedly for six seven times. For some movies, the proprietor of the Cinema Halls used to advertise the movies even three months ahead. Interestingly, Temsu Jamir disclosed that they used to first watch the newsreel before the show and after the show, they viewers would all stand up and sing the Indian National Anthem before dispersing.
“The crowds were very rowdy, but they all used to sing the National Anthem,” he narrated adding that they have to wait for a movie ‘Outlaw Jesse James’ for eight months, and “it never came”. Another prominent citizen Lawrence Imchen disclosed of how they finished watching a movie in eight days, because there was no generator backup for screening the movie while the electricity went off. Temsu Jamir said that the cinema halls closed down due to the bad situation in the town and also the coming of television in Mokokchung, especially the Cable TV.
Talking about the newly opened theater, I Temsu Jamir expressed optimism that the opening of the Movie Theater would be a boon for movie bluffs and for those who want to take an interest in cinematography. Saying that the interior décor of Eastern Talkies Movie Theater is much above his expectation, Temsu Jamir expressed satisfaction at the acoustics and the picture quality on the screen.
With the younger generation of the town taking much interest in entertainment section and the congenial situation in the town making the youths feel the need of a hang-out place or place of entertainment for after work relaxation, this movie theater would come as a relief for many youths in the town who are mostly entrepreneurs running business establishments in the town. This is opening of the movie theater might come as a welcome development for many, but it is up to the general public how they responsibly utilize the theater. But for the youths, this is a welcome development.
The theater is a joint venture of local entrepreneurs Jongpongchiten, Imnajungshi and Bendangtemsu Soya, who invested a lot for the past two years in their enterprise. They disclosed receiving assistance from the Chief Minister of Nagaland, Neiphiu Rio and the Allahabad Bank Mokokchung Branch. The electronic gadgets, equipments and all have been arranged by Audio Garage, Dimapur. Adjacent to the theater, near the ticket counter, there is a small restaurant where the owners is planning to install a popcorn and beverages counter for the movie watchers to buy snacks and beverages like cold-drinks, tea and coffee.
The owners disclosed that they plan to screen three shows per day all days except on Sunday. On Sundays, the movies will be screened only after the church service. Both English and Hindi movies will be screened; the first show will be on 11:30 am, second show on 3 pm and the last show at 5 pm. The tickets for the first, second and third shows are priced at Rs 50, Rs 80 and Rs 100 respectively.
Saying that the theater is aimed at the welfare of the people of Mokokchung, the owners made a strong appeal to the citizens to maintain decency inside the theater and to respect the rules of the theater. Significantly, they informed that groups like Cadet Club or social organization who want to utilize the theater for screening of special movies for special occasions would be given the opportunity to hire the theater at special discount rates. Meanwhile, the Mokokchung Town Baptist Church (MTBA) Youth Director, Temnameren said a special prayer before the opening of the movie theater. Thereafter, the true story movie “Five Days of War” was screened as a special treat for the local reporters, guests and well-wishers who attended the opening.
A walk to the past
Among the guests today present at the opening of the Eastern Talkies movie theater was prominent Mokokchung I Temsu Jamir, the proprietor of the Mokokchung Channel, who said that he was watching a movie in a theater after more than 22-23 years. Expressing his nostalgia, Temsu Jamir narrated use to watch movies like Enter the Dragon (Bruce Lee’s Movie) Love Story etc repeatedly for six seven times. For some movies, the proprietor of the Cinema Halls used to advertise the movies even three months ahead. Interestingly, Temsu Jamir disclosed that they used to first watch the newsreel before the show and after the show, they viewers would all stand up and sing the Indian National Anthem before dispersing.
“The crowds were very rowdy, but they all used to sing the National Anthem,” he narrated adding that they have to wait for a movie ‘Outlaw Jesse James’ for eight months, and “it never came”. Another prominent citizen Lawrence Imchen disclosed of how they finished watching a movie in eight days, because there was no generator backup for screening the movie while the electricity went off. Temsu Jamir said that the cinema halls closed down due to the bad situation in the town and also the coming of television in Mokokchung, especially the Cable TV.
Talking about the newly opened theater, I Temsu Jamir expressed optimism that the opening of the Movie Theater would be a boon for movie bluffs and for those who want to take an interest in cinematography. Saying that the interior décor of Eastern Talkies Movie Theater is much above his expectation, Temsu Jamir expressed satisfaction at the acoustics and the picture quality on the screen.
With the younger generation of the town taking much interest in entertainment section and the congenial situation in the town making the youths feel the need of a hang-out place or place of entertainment for after work relaxation, this movie theater would come as a relief for many youths in the town who are mostly entrepreneurs running business establishments in the town. This is opening of the movie theater might come as a welcome development for many, but it is up to the general public how they responsibly utilize the theater. But for the youths, this is a welcome development.
