He must be the only person on the planet who went to the movies throughout lockdown. In a year redefining the phrase annus horribilis, Hemant Chaturvedi trained his Olympus OMD and Pen-F cameras on "beautiful ruins" of single-screen theatres in remote reaches of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttarakhand, UP, MP, Goa and Kashmir. 

The result: 55,000 frames from which he will cull the cream for a seminal book and series of exhibitions. Steering his sturdy Force Motors Jeep across 32,000 kilometres, he has uncovered 655 theatres, scouring the country's length and breadth on this remarkable quest.

Remnants of Novelty cinema, with the iconic statue of the lady and Goodwill Theatres' circular logo centred with a dove. Pics/Hemant Chaturvedi

About 9,710 single screens in 2009 dwindled to 6,300 in 2019. Visiting 500 towns, Hemant discovered each theatre, depending on size and location, had a similar ecosystem, scaled higher or lower by the social demographic encircling it. Ubiquitous chai and juice stalls, paan and cigarette shops touts sidled up to hissing black-market ticket prices were common features.