Priya cinema reopens with 'initiative' of Mamata Banerjee

Priya cinema, which remained closed for six months after a fire broke out in the theatre on August 5 last year, resumed public screening from Friday. The theatre reopened with the special screening of the original print of Satyajit Ray's 'Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne' in the 35 mm format Thursday.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee declared it open from a function held nearby on the International Mother Language Day by pressing a remote control button. "The CM has taken an initiative to open the theatre after friends in the film industry approached her," Priya owner Arijit Dutta told PTI on Friday.

He said Banerjee has expressed interest to visit the theatre and watch a film whenever she finds out time. Dutta said a sum of Rs one crore was spent to install fire fighting equipment such as water sprinkler and fire beam detector in the hall and making the building structurally stronger.

Dutta screened the original black and white 35 mm version of Ray's timeless children's fantasy 'Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne' on its inaugural show inviting kids of nearby areas, including street children, to watch the film. It was the 50th year of the iconic film, home production of Priya's production arm Purnima Pictures.

Fire department sources said the fire safety NOC was issued to the theatre with recommendations such as holding periodic fire fighting and evacuation drills. The theatre started public screening from Friday with three movies - two Bengali and one Hindi.

Bengali film superstar Prosenjit Chatterjee said, "The turnaround of Priya cinema shows our resolve to bring back single screens. Single screens are needed for the survival of Bengali cinema. We have to retain them giving them due to recognition," Chatterjee told PTI.

He said, before the advent of multiplexes, when there was a strict dividing line between commercial and art films, theatres like Priya had "supported art house cinema which led to the change in Bengali movies from formula-driven films to content-rich films." Director Srijit Mukherjee, who was present at the special screening of Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne, said "We had been waiting for this day for long." Director Goutam Ghosh also said "Many of my film premiers had taken place here. The re-opening of the hall augurs well for the single screen in Bengal."

(With inputs from agencies.)