The movie mania in Kolkata
When one goes to see a movie in Kolkata the most common term used is that they are going to see 'cinema'. The people of Kolkata are huge movie fans and they love to enjoy various kinds of genres and also know how to appreciate it. Starting with the veteran director Satyajit Ray, who had also made the city proud with an Oscar, up to the latest Bollywood flicks, Kolkata seems to enjoy it all. The craze for enjoying cinemas here is not something new rich cultural heritage has a large contribution to the same. The earliest forms of theatre and the present day forms of plays are responsible for the appreciation that this city gives to cinema. The movies that arrive in the city include English, Hindi and Bengali movies, though in recent times the Bhojpuri or the Bihari movies and other regional movies have also gained popularity due to the immigrants from different parts of the country. The Bengali movies here fare quite well here as their Bollywood counterparts who usually hold the largest stake in the movie market in the city. Along with the regular shows many multiplexes also have provisions for special premiers where the movies can be seen a day before its scheduled release.
With the rise of the mall culture in the city the concept of the multiplexes also arrive d here, although this had spread to different parts of the country much earlier. Even today the average Kolkatan does not mind going to the stand alone theatre to enjoy the hooting and shouting, which is still a vital part of the cinema mania here. The movie experience here is not complete without the local chips and popcorn along with the traditional 'samosa'. The influence of these snacks has hit the multiplexes also with all of them serving popcorn, 'samosa' and the famous 'muri'. The emergence of the multiplexes here has caused a lot of damage to the sales of the stand alone theatres here and many of the classic and famous movie halls, existing since the British period had to be shut down. But the with the multiplexes emerging in almost all the parts of the city the people of Kolkata can find going to the cinema more affordable again, unlike the times when the multiplex prizes were touching the sky. This is also the reason that most of the multiplexes and theatres are still managing to do great business during the recession period.
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