Azad Cinema, Movie theater in Old Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Azad Cinema is a movie theater located in Old Dhaka that sits on Johnson Road and displays the architectural style of early twentieth-century cinema halls. The building preserves its original interior design with classical details that reflect how film venues looked during that period.
The cinema was founded in 1929 as Mukul Cinema Hall and was among the first places where people in the region could watch motion pictures. Its establishment came during the time when film was beginning to gain popularity across South Asia.
The cinema served as a gathering place where locals came together to watch films and spend time in a shared space that felt like part of the community. This role in bringing people together shaped social life in the neighborhood for generations.
The venue is easy to reach using local buses or rickshaws from anywhere in Old Dhaka and sits on a street that is recognizable to local people. Screenings happen regularly during the day, so it helps to ask about current timings when you arrive.
The cinema still has its original projection equipment from the 1930s, which you can see in a dedicated section of the building. This older machinery shows how films were displayed on the big screen during that era.
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