Delhiwale: The Imperial pink

In Paharganj, the closed Imperial Cinema stands as a fading relic of the past, amidst Covid closures. The building's history and decay reflect the changing times.

The pink building bears the shade of twilight. The purpose for which it was built is long gone, but the structure continues to exist, here in Paharganj, the backpackers’ district reeling with Covid-era closures of cafés and bookstores.

The Imperial Cinema in Paharganj closed in 2015. (HT Photo)

In a locality overwhelmed with disappeared landmarks, Imperial Cinema sits on one side of Brijmohan Sethi Chowk. It sits confidently, as if the hollow hulk were to outlast us all. The cinema closed in 2015. During its final years, it used to screen action movies from the 1990s; the morning shows were reserved for A-rated English films. The cinema hall was originally a colonial-era theatre and hosted balls for British officers, according to the book Delhi 4 Shows: Talkies Of Yesteryear. It is believed to be the first theatre in the city to have been turned into a cinema. The earliest movie screened was Alam Ara, India’s first sound film.

This afternoon, the “current booking” window, in the cinema’s road-facing corridor, is covered with a delicate film of cobweb. Directly above the window, painted in blood red, are the theatre’s vital stats— 189 seats in the balcony, 381 seats in the rear stall. A large poster, probably of the last movie screened, is so faded and tattered that it is impossible to identify the actors, though one of the faces hints to Mithun Chakraborty. An adjacent column is plastered with pink fliers advertising “Maths and Reasoning Special Classes” by “Kishen Sir.”

Directly across the road stands a spiffy building speckled with curtained windows. It is the appropriately named Hotel Imperial View.

Meanwhile, the other side of the theatre—on Lakshmi Narayan Street—has become literally wild. Wayward tree leaves are growing atop the theatre’s roof. Roots of that tree have set into the derelict brick wall, clearly visible through the peeling pink. The facade overlooks a landmark about to vanish. An aged mansion—beautiful arched doorways, etc— has lately been bounded up with blue metal barricades, a sure sign of looming demolition.

Some distance away, towards the south, lies the derelict remains of the Khanna Cinema building. Some distance away, towards the north, lies the well-preserved remains of the Sheila Cinema building.

Slowly-slowly, the evening sets in, the departing sun smears the western sky (not seen in the photo) with tints of pink, soon to be swallowed by the night. The Imperial’s pink is more lasting.