Delhi’s dream factory: A cinephile’s guide to the capital
Delhi's film culture is shifting from traditional multiplexes toward independent film clubs and alternative screening spaces. This trend reflects a broader change in how urban audiences consume cinema, moving away from commercial theaters toward community-driven discussions.
Why it matters
The decline in multiplex footfall highlights a significant shift in urban entertainment consumption patterns and the resilience of niche cultural movements.
For many non-theatrical film screenings in Delhi, this has been a ritual: silence, cinema, discussion. Today, the silence hangs in Mool, a basement used for film screenings and discussions. Arnab from Camera Commune, paces by the white walls of the basement, helming the proceeds of the evening smoothly. It is The Young Karl Marx (2017), chosen to mark the birthday of the father of communism. Once the film is over, a discussion will follow.
What led to this culture around films in the capital? Recent reports have flagged an 83% drop in the footfall of multiplexes since 2016, from 49,000 people a day in 2017 to 21,541 in 2024. While management ascribes it to people skiving off to NCR cities like Noida and Gurugram instead of Delhi for inexpensive tickets, what they miss is the rise in alternative modes of film-watching in the city.
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