On 30th of December, 2018, I spent an afternoon photographing at Rex theatre on Brigade Road. I had seen many movies there. I had missed photographing Plaza theatre before it shut down few years ago. Theatre was full of nostalgia seekers who were there to see the last shows at Rex. People came up to me and talked. There was a gentleman from Seshadripuram who had been a regular since his college days, another person who had moved into Bangalore somewhere in 2000. I didn’t ask their names, it was not important for me. People were sad that the theatre was being pulled down. A mall with a multiplex will come up in the next 2-3 years I was told. However I always remembered an old man who used to stand outside the main exit and beg, every night after the 2nd show. It used to be close to midnight when the show got over. And he would be there, clad trousers, a jacket and a hat. He was blind and used to appeal to people in a sing song manner in his nasal voice.
When I went in, the show was on. I used the time to shoot images of the interior devoid of people
When people came out during the intermission, I used long exposure lasting several seconds to give the impression of the last shows of viewers slowly vanishing.
In the 90s, an old man used to stand here and beg, every night after the 2nd show. It used to be close to midnight when the show got over. And he would be there, clad trousers, a jacket and a hat. He was blind and used to appeal to people in a sing song manner in his nasal voice. I made this photograph in his memory. Neither did I know his name, nor where in Bangalore he was from. I presume he lived in the cantonment area somewhere. I could see this image only in B&W, even before I photographed it.