Now Reading: Safire theatre, once Chennai cinema landmark, now empty plot
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Safire theatre, once Chennai cinema landmark, now empty plot
The Safire theatre complex on Anna Salai (Mount Road), which introduced 70 mm film and multiplex cinema to Chennai in 1964, now exists only as a vacant plot. Built by diamond merchant…
The Safire theatre complex on Anna Salai (Mount Road), which introduced 70 mm film and multiplex cinema to Chennai in 1964, now exists only as a vacant plot. Built by diamond merchant Yeshwant Veecumsee, the complex housed the Safire, Blue Diamond, and Emerald screens, along with a restaurant and disco.
At its peak, Safire screened iconic English films such as Cleopatra, My Fair Lady, The Sound of Music, and The Poseidon Adventure. The Blue Diamond screen pioneered continuous screenings in India: for Rs 2.50, patrons could enter and leave at any time. By the 1980s, cable TV drew audiences away, and the Veecumsees closed the complex. It was sold to the AIADMK in 1994 but remained unused, then was demolished in 2003.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The Safire complex stood for an era when single-screen theatres defined Chennai's film culture, and English cinema found a dedicated audience outside the mainstream Tamil circuit. Its sale to a political party and subsequent neglect is a familiar pattern in Tamil Nadu: several iconic theatres in Chennai, such as the Casino and the Liberty, have either been redeveloped or lie unused. Under the Tamil Nadu Cinema (Regulation) Act, theatre owners must maintain screening licences, but no obligation preserves a building's heritage status. The plot on Anna Salai, one of the city's most valuable commercial corridors, could see redevelopment if ownership changes again. For now, no announcement has been made about its future use.
Source: thehindu.com
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
