A hark back to ‘collection king’ Udhayam Theatre in Chennai

For decades, until just over a year ago, Ashok Nagar was home to a theatre so beloved that it even found its way into a song: Udhayam theatre la en idhayathai tholachen… In the 1980s, ’90s, and early 2000s, Udhayam theatre was a true FDFS spot, where heartbreaks, fight sequences, and larger-than-life heroes moved audiences. Before its patronage dwindled in its later years and the theatre eventually gave way to real estate development, it stood as a landmark, an institution that had watched a city grow around it.

Udhayam opened its curtains to film lovers in the summer of 1983, with the screening of Rajinikanth’s Sivappu Sooriyan. The theatre was started by six brothers from Tirunelveli, and housed three screens initially: Udhayam, Mini Udhayam, and Sooriyan. Chandran was added in later years. Even the bus stop in the area was known as the ‘Udhayam stop’.

“It was, perhaps, the first complex theatre (or multiplex) in the south of Chennai in those days. The theatre was very strategically placed and centrally situated, and it always had walk-in audiences. It had a decent car park for those days, so the theatre saw both high-end and mass crowds. Just about any film you played there would run successfully, because of which it earned the title of ‘collection king’,” remarked film analyst Sreedhar Pillai.

Udhayam was also one of the theatres in Chennai where the movies of big stars, especially Rajinikanth, would open first. Sometimes, the opening weekend would see all screens playing a single movie.

Writer and film director Suka says he has watched many films at Udhayam with his vaathyar (mentor), renowned director Balu Mahendra. “In fact, whenever we decided to watch a film, I would insist on going to Udhayam. I preferred the theatre not just for its films, but also because I could interact with the employees, some of whom were from Tirunelveli, my hometown,” he says.

Over the years, with the rise of multiplexes, Udhayam’s appeal withered. It faced stiff competition from Palazzo, in particular. There had been talks to sell the property since 2009, with multiple attempts being made over the years. Finally, it was sold to Casagrand for ₹80 crore in 2024, and the sun set on Udhayam in February the following year.