A museum featuring pieces of cinema history, including antique projectors, film spools, music records and winding tables, was opened at the more than 150-year-old building housing the Assembly Rooms Theatre in Udhagamandalam on Wednesday.
The ‘Assems Cine Museum’, which was opened to the public by the Nilgiris District Collector, Innocent Divya on Wednesday, has among its marquee show-pieces, two Bauer B6 film projectors, dating back to the mid-1950s. The equipment on show at the cinema museum were all used at the Assembly Rooms, and most, if not all of the items on show are still very much functional, said D. Radhakrishnan, honorary secretary of the Assembly Rooms.
Mr. Radhakrishnan said that the museum was constructed as a tribute to the residents of the Nilgiris, the public and also the actors and celebrities who have visited and watched movies in the heritage building over the decades.
The building itself has an extremely rich history dating back more than 150 years. Originally called ‘Misquith’s Rooms’ the Assembly Rooms got its present name in 1886. Interestingly, one of the early owners of the building was a man named Tonga Browne, who used to run tonga services between Mettupalayam and Udhagamandalam.
There are records that the building was used for plays and cultural events throughout most of its history. There are records of a play being hosted in the hall – Still Waters Run Deep, in 1873, added Mr. Radhakrishnan. In the 1920's, Lady Willingdon purchased and upgraded the building for ₹50,000 and bequeathed it to the people of the Nilgiris.
Since then, it has been periodically renovated, in 1974, 1986 and most recently in 2012, when the old Bauer B6 projectors were retired and replaced with digital projectors, sound systems and silver screens.
Though the equipment from inside the theatre has been saved for posterity, the memories associated with the theatre continue to persist, with patrons still recalling with fondness, the visits of both Indian as well as Hollywood film royalty to the Assembly Rooms, including Hugh Griffith of ‘Ben Hur’ fame, as well as the visit of Amitabh Bachchan and others from film industries across India.
The Nilgiris Collector, Innocent Divya who dedicated the museum to the public, said that apart from its immense historical value, the museum would add value to the town and also bring in tourists.
Geetha Srinivasan and Rajesh Nahar, members of the board of trustees, were also present at the inauguration of the museum.
