WM Namjoshi: The man behind Indian cinema that looks like ice cream
240w , https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/AEA6/production/_129301744_p7140609copy.jpg 320w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/AEA6/production/ _129301744_p7140609copy.jpg 480w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/AEA6/production/_129301744_p7140609copy.jpg 624w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/ https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/AEA6/production/_129301744_p7140609copy.jpg 976w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk /news/976/cpsprodpb/AEA6/production/_129301744_p7140609copy.jpg" width="976" height="650" loading="eager" class="ssrcss-evoj7m-Image ee0ct7c0"/>Image source, Hemant Chaturvedi By Cherylann MollanBBC News, Mumbai
One of India's most beautiful cinemas looks like a dollop of frozen pink ice cream halfway through.
But nothing about its exterior prepares you for what's inside: futuristic chandeliers; a ceiling that looks like some sort of glowing space bug; stucco decorated walls and glass panel railings illuminated with warm yellow lights. It's a heady mix of ancient and hyper-modern.
This is the iconic Raj Mandir Cinema in the city of Jaipur, Jaipur State Western Rajasthan: A single-screen cinema that opened in 1976 but still puts on shows and is a popular tourist attraction.
Still, the man who designed this theatrical marvel is shrouded in mystery. Not much is known about Waman Moreshwar Namjoshi or WM Namjoshi - an interior designer who worked on over three dozen single-screen cinemas across India between the 1930s and 1970s.
< p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00">Many of them were built in the flamboyant Art Deco style - a style of modernist design that broke the rules and celebrated the new. “These buildings featured clean lines, inviting curves and design elements that showcased the latest technologies and building materials of the time, such as neon lighting and concrete,” says famed architect Rajat Sodhi ."There were elements of grandeur and flowing interiors; the feeling was that we were moving towards a better future," he adds.
Many theaters in Namjoshi have been demolished or are in ruins, but those that...
One of India's most beautiful cinemas looks like a dollop of frozen pink ice cream halfway through.
But nothing about its exterior prepares you for what's inside: futuristic chandeliers; a ceiling that looks like some sort of glowing space bug; stucco decorated walls and glass panel railings illuminated with warm yellow lights. It's a heady mix of ancient and hyper-modern.
This is the iconic Raj Mandir Cinema in the city of Jaipur, Jaipur State Western Rajasthan: A single-screen cinema that opened in 1976 but still puts on shows and is a popular tourist attraction.
Still, the man who designed this theatrical marvel is shrouded in mystery. Not much is known about Waman Moreshwar Namjoshi or WM Namjoshi - an interior designer who worked on over three dozen single-screen cinemas across India between the 1930s and 1970s.
< p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00">Many of them were built in the flamboyant Art Deco style - a style of modernist design that broke the rules and celebrated the new. “These buildings featured clean lines, inviting curves and design elements that showcased the latest technologies and building materials of the time, such as neon lighting and concrete,” says famed architect Rajat Sodhi ."There were elements of grandeur and flowing interiors; the feeling was that we were moving towards a better future," he adds.
Many theaters in Namjoshi have been demolished or are in ruins, but those that...
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