Madras Day 2026 | Prarthana Theatre: where stars sparkled on screen and in the sky

“We watched two sets of stars — one sparkling in the night sky and the other coming alive on the giant screen,” says Vijayalakshmi Muralidharan recalling her frequent visits to Prarthana Theatre, Chennai’s erstwhile drive-in theatre on East Coast Road, in the early 1990s.

For Ms. Muralidharan, daughter of veteran director and producer A.P. Nagarajan, a trip from her then residence in Adyar to the open-air theatre in Injambakkam offered more than a movie outing. It was an experience of watching the stars in the night sky and her favourite stars on the silver screen, each adding to the magic of the evening.

Located on a sprawling 15-acre site at Injambakkam, Prarthana began its journey as a beachside drive-in theatre and restaurant complex.

With a massive screen measuring 100 ft. by 60 ft. concrete screen, the theatre was opened on May 10, 1991, according to a 1997 report in The Hindu, which quoted N. Devanathan, founder of the venture. The premises could accommodate nearly 175 cars from where viewers could enjoy the movies. In the 1990s, visitors were charged ₹30 each and ₹5 per vehicle.

At a time when the city had fewer avenues for recreation, Prarthana drew large groups of families and friends. “We used to visit as a group of 10 to 15 persons and often watched the same movies for the second time just for the open-air experience,” said Ms. Vijayalakshmi.

Long time residents recalled the theatre complex as an iconic destination that offered wholesome recreation for an entire generation of Chennai’s movie-goers. Neelankarai resident Srilakshmi Mohan Rao recalls driving all the way from Alwarpet then with her family in 1992 and 1993. They would watch movies from inside the car, carry chairs or sometimes spread a carpet on the ground.

“Those memories are still fresh in my mind. While it was mostly Tamil movies like Jeans and Minnale in Prarthana, Hindi films were screened in Aradhana, the indoor theatre in the same complex. We carried our own food and sometimes tasted sandwiches and finger chips from the restaurant,” said Ms. Rao.

The sound system is another detail that remains etched in the memories of film buffs. “I still remember how clearly we could hear the movie despite the noise around us. There was no echo. People used to dance to the popular songs from the Kamal Haasan starrer movie, Indian. We watched most of actor Rajinikanth’s films there,” said Ms. Vijayalakshmi.

The open-air theatre had two daily shows — 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. The ECR was sparsely populated then, there were no safety issues. The complex also had a children’s play area.

The theatre had two seating galleries to accommodate nearly 614 people, a restaurant and Aradhana indoor theatre with seating capacity of nearly 331 seats and was equipped with DTS, reported The Hindu in 2006.

In 2021, the Prarthana theatre ceased operations during the COVID-19 pandemic and made way for real estate development later. For many, Prarthana remains a cherished part of Chennai’s past.