ASSEMBLY ROOMS

                                                             ASSEMBLY ROOMS

The Assembly Rooms has touched almost every individual in this area.The old Assembly Rooms in Ooty, constructed over 150 years ago, gets a nip and a tuck. Originally called Misquith’s Rooms it got its present name in 1886. It was bought by Lady Willingdon for Rs 50,000 and bequeathed to the people of Ooty in 1922 for their entertainment. From holding dances and theatre performances, the Rooms turned into a movie hall.

 The theatre is spacious, with digital technology for a better viewing experience and a silver screen that allows 3 D films.The Rooms are on 1.15 acres of prime land.It has never been profit-oriented. Funds have generated for the maintenance. Ms. Archana Patnaik who was the collector then got us funds from HADP and maintenance was taken up. Along with other generous contributions, over 70 lakh have spent on the project. The area around has been turned into parking to earn revenue.   The movie experience to be as good as it is in the big cities. 90 percent have has been achieved.The space behind the theatre was cleaned that was lying unused for years to be used as parking.

The Assembly Rooms were thrown open today after they had shut in 2011 for renovation. There will soon be a gallery displaying old film paraphernalia including the Bauer projector that was used till recently.There will also be photographs of the legends of Hollywood and Indian cinema and of the popular movie shooting haunts in the Nilgiris.