Walk 09

Theaters

Theatres have been an integral part of Chandigarh’s planning, envisioned as cultural spaces to introduce and promote art, cinema, and performance within the city’s modernist fabric. 

These structures, often long and linear in form, stand as bold expressions of Brutalist architecture, adding a distinct aesthetic character to the urban landscape.

Black and white photo of an old, weathered sign on top of a concrete building, with trees on either side.
Black and white image of a staircase with a metal handrail, a textured wall with vertical lines, a round opening in the wall, and a door labeled "Prop Managers Office" in the background.
Black and white photo of a modern building with concrete walls and large vertical windows, showing a symmetrical architectural design.

Across the Chandigarh Tricity region, there are around thirteen theatres, of which two have been demolished in recent years. This curated walk takes you through several of these significant buildings — including the Tagore Theatre, Neelam Theatre, Kiran Cinema, Batra Theatre, Bassi Cinema, Suraj Cinema, and various Open-Air Theatres (O.A.Ts) — offering an architectural and cultural lens into their evolution. 

The tour not only traces the architectural and cultural evolution of these theatres but also foregrounds the contributions of Indian architects such as Aditya Prakash, B.P. Mathur, H.S. Chopra, and Sarbjit Singh Bahga, whose designs embody an enduring blend of minimalism, functionality, and civic purpose within the city’s modernist vision.

*The buildings are located in different sectors & so requires transportation

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Other Curated Walks

Empty corridor with a decorative ceiling design and wooden wall panels on one side.
An old, abandoned movie theater with the name 'KIRAN' in large, weathered letters above the entrance, with a faded marquee below, and a faded green tiled wall on the side. The building shows signs of neglect and disrepair.
Concrete walkway leading to a brick and concrete tower with a spiral ramp, situated by a body of water with cloudy sky and distant hills.
A multi-story building next to a park with green trees, bushes, a pathway, and a sprinkler watering the grass, under a clear blue sky.