A new web series puts the spotlight on the last projectionists in Mumbai's single screens
Shaikh Mohammed Aslam, projectionist at Liberty Cinema
As a child, Shaikh Mohammed Aslam would often accompany his father, a projectionist at Liberty Cinema, to select film screenings at the Charni Road venue. For him, it wasn't the prospect of watching a movie that was exciting, but the chance to observe his father inside the booth. "It fascinated me to see him work the controls of the projector, manage the electronics of the lamp and the sound system, and then watch it all come alive on the big screen," he says. The room with the small window that had a bright beam of light shining through it was where Aslam yearned to be.
Shaikh Mohammed Aslam, projectionist at Liberty Cinema
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Today, the 43-year-old is carrying forward his father's legacy as a projectionist at Liberty Cinema. After working behind the scenes for 23 years, he now features in a new documentary by 101 India titled Traces. "The series is about 'the last of' anything: ethnic communities, folk craftsmen, disappearing trades, essentially forgotten people. It sketches portraits of these unique individuals, locked in a battle they cannot win: a battle against the future. Together, they represent the dying whispers of ancient heritage and traditional individuality," says founder Cyrus Oshidar. The film is about the last of the old school projectionists in one of the last serving Art Deco cinemas.
No room for error
Aslam's first job as a trainee projectionist was in 1992 at Gulshan Cinema at Faulkland Road, Grant Road East. His first film was Adharm starring Sanjay Dutt and Anita Raj. "As a projectionist, you rarely get a chance to sit back and enjoy the film. It's a busy job where you have to be attentive and keep tabs on sound quality and lighting all the time," he says. While hiccups would happen in smaller single screens, where the order of reels would go sometimes wrong, the onus was far greater when it came to bigger cinemas like Eros, Regal and New Excelsior, he reveals.
He recalls how the late Yash Chopra would always hold the first screening of his films at Liberty Cinema, and distribute gifts, sometimes mithai. At the screenings, it was paramount to not draw attention to the shadow room. "As long as everything was playing fine, nobody cares to look at you. But the moment, there's a glitch, all heads turn. So, we are always happy being in the shadows," he says.
Not the last show
There was a period when the cinema shut down for four years and his team of four projectionists had little to do. "We would be called in for special events and film festivals, or if there were movie shoots," he says. But the thought of quitting never occurred to him. Today, he is on the payroll and earns R16,000 a month - a sum that just about helps make ends meet. "For me, this job is an important duty, and doesn't matter if there are four or 400 people in the hall. Their movie going experience hinges on me, so I have a lot of responsibility."
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