While coming out of the Maratha Mandir cinema after watching Dilwale Dulhaniya Lejayenge (DDLJ), a bunch of six to seven college-going teenagers were excitedly trying to outdo each other with the film’s dialogues. “It’s alright, senorita. Bari, bari deshoon mein aisi choti choti baatein hoti rehti hain,” mouthed a typical lad — clad in jeans, T-shirt, sneakers and holding a backpack.

In mock seriousness came a pat reply from one of his female friends, “Meri zindagi mein undekhe, anjane ke liye koi jaga nahin hai!” With it the group burst out loudly, laughing at their own antics. Excited, enjoying each other’s company and bubbling with happiness, the group walked away reliving scenes from the film which was released in 1995!

The Shah Rukh Khan-Kajol starrer gave the actors their first big break together as a duo, making them the best onscreen couple ever. And Maratha Mandir, a cinema theatre in Central Mumbai, has been screening the film ever since (it’s been over 1,000 weeks so far)!

“On Sunday and other holidays we still get a full house and in fact many a time tickets get sold for more than double the amount in black. And on weekdays we get a semi-packed show,” said M. Rane, the manager at Maratha Mandir. “Of course we have only morning shows. The rest are for current films. And let me tell you that many of these new films need to be withdrawn within a week for lack of audiences,” he added with a chuckle while stating the fate of the current crop of films.

Located at one of the busiest junctions, Mumbai Central, Maratha Mandir theatre has an advantage of its location — a central bus depot on one side and Mumbai Central railway station (both local and outstation) on the other. Then there is the huge Nair Hospital, a government-run medical centre and dental college where people from far and wide come in for treatment at nominal charges. So for people waiting for their bus, train or even for their turn at the hospital, the theatre becomes a convenient place to while away the time.

Just as for the bunch of college kids, it was a time of discovering a younger SRK and Kajol with popcorn and a bunch of friends, for several others it is nostalgia and enjoyment of romance in the retro single screen theatre.

Mahesh and Roopa Kulkarni, married for 19 years now, make it a point to celebrate every wedding anniversary by watching DDLJ. “This was the first film we watched together after our marriage and in this theatre only. Though we live at the other end of the Metro, we have sort of developed a bond with DDLJ and Maratha Mandir,” said Mahesh.

Shankar is a porter at Mumbai Central railway station who proudly claimed that this was his 76th show. “In between the train arrival time, I come, get some rest, snatch some odd winks and get entertained by the romance between Kajol and SRK. This was the first film I watched when I came to Mumbai. Things haven’t changed much — neither the ambience nor the pricing,” says the man.

The price of the ticket is the main attraction — Rs25, Rs20 and Rs15 for balcony, dress circle and stalls, respectively, at a time when at multiplexes it is Rs500 to Rs120. Even a cup of coffee at mid-level eatery costs more and one can’t even relax for three hours and that too in the AC hall. Many also come to enjoy the air conditioned cinema interior for the three hours.

At present the theatre is running the film on a no profit-no loss basis. With all its old world charm intact, the only change that has occurred is that instead of noisy, whirring fans the cinema now has an AC hall with Dolby sound.

“We haven’t changed the interior from what it was when it first opened to public in 1955, with the film Sharada starring the late Raj Kapoor and Meena Kumari. The stain glass swing doors, the wooden structures are all still there,” explained Rane.

Film premiers in the old days were grand. For the premier of Mughal-i-Azam in 1960, elephants and camels were brought in to greet the guests. In fact Dilip Kumar, then the reigning superstar and the lead actor of the film, met the then teenage Saira Banu at the premier and married her six years later.

Almost all big names in the film world have visited Maratha Mandir at some time or other. With DDLJ completing 1,000 weeks, the theatre along with the film will have created celluloid history.