5 months ago
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Still reeling from the caller nonaccomplishment of Cauvery theatre, Bengaluru cine buffs whitethorn beryllium successful for much heartbreak. Urvashi Cinema, 1 of the biggest and finest azygous screens of the city, is staring astatine a imaginable closure.
Located astatine Lalbagh junction, the theatre whitethorn person to extremity its glorious tally of 50 years owing to a land-related litigation. Established successful the 1970s, Urvashi was known for its top-notch exertion that offered an immersive cinematic experience.
Until its caller aureate brownish avatar, fans of the theatres volition retrieve its iconic bluish hued structure. If it closes, Urvashi volition articulation Cauvery and Kapali successful the database of fashionable 1,000-seaters to go portion of the city’s cherished memory.
Urvashi was 1 of the azygous screens that tried to reinvent itself and accommodate to technology. More than a decennary ago, the theatre adopted 4K integer projector and Meyer Sound. Add to this, the xpanD progressive shutter 3D glasses and fans got a spectacular, IMAX-like experience.
The communicative goes that offering champion exertion astatine an affordable rate, Urvashi triumphed implicit fashionable multiplex chains during the much-hyped merchandise of ‘Avatar’ successful 2009, going connected to bushed its mighty hostile successful container bureau collection.
Apart from a preferred venue for large summons Hollywood releases, Urvashi was the go-to prime for films of superstars. The immense abstraction extracurricular its premises gave fans the much-needed level for first-day-first-show celebrations and the wide surface offered the cleanable ambiance to ticker a larger-than-life movie.
The theatre that screened respective blockbusters successful each decade, from America! America!! to Kamal Haasan’s Indian, from Rajinikanth’s Sivaji to Prabhas’ Baahubali and from the KGF films to Kantara, was a hub for those who continued to bask the old-school mode of watching films successful the fast-changing times.
Case inheritance
The saga goes backmost to 1970 erstwhile M/s Sreenivasa Enterprises got the onshore connected lease for 45 years from landlords B.K. Govindaraj (who is nary much now, and is represented by his ineligible representatives) and household to conception a theatre and run it connected the land.
The operational lease play of 42 years commenced successful 1976 with the opening of the theatre and screening of the archetypal movie amusement and the lease ranged from ₹750 per period to a maximum of ₹1,375 per period during the past 42 years.
The lease play ended successful April, 2018, starring to civilian suit by Sreenivasa Enterprises and its partners for its hold successful presumption of a proviso successful the lease agreement. However, landlords excessively had filed a suit for eviction of the tenants.
A Bengaluru civilian tribunal connected February 15, 2024, passed a decree for eviction of tenants asking them vacate the onshore wrong two-and-a-half twelvemonth from the day of the decree, too asking the tenants to wage a rent of ₹6.25 lakh per months from April 2018, till handing implicit of the land. The landlords had sought ₹25 lakh per month.
Both the parties filed appeals successful the High Court of Karnataka, which successful its October 13, 2025, verdict directed tenants to manus implicit the vacant land, by demolishing the existing buildings, to the landlords by February 15, 2026.
The High Court besides said that the tenants person to wage profits/damages astatine the complaint of ₹20 lakh per period from April 2018 till handing implicit of the onshore to the landlords.
Following an contented implicit non hold of lease, the Deputy Commissioner of Bengaluru Urban successful February, 2024, cancelled the licence for cinema accumulation successful Urvashi but the cinema accumulation is continuing, based connected a enactment granted by the tribunal connected cancellation of licence connected a petition, filed by M/s Sreenivasa Enterprises, which is pending for last adjudication.
Pending plea
Meanwhile, Sreenivasa Enterprises has besides filed reappraisal petitions earlier the High Court, seeking reappraisal of the October 13 verdict and these petitions are successful the scrutiny stages and are yet to travel up for hearing.
