For decades, the world has been writing cinema’s obituary.
Television was going to kill it. Home video was going to kill it. DVDs, piracy, streaming — each one was supposed to be the final blow. Then came the pandemic, and even believers thought it was over.
Then a man who runs a single-screen cinema in Purnea, Bihar refused to accept it.
Vishek Chauhan isn’t a film star or a studio boss. He’s a fourth-generation exhibitor whose family has run a cinema since 1960. While everyone else was mourning movie theatres, he sat down to defend them.
The result is Cinemas Forever. And it has just done something few expected.
One Spot Behind Salman Khan
Within days of release, Cinemas Forever became Amazon India’s No. 1 Hot New Release in Film & Television and climbed to No. 2 on the overall bestseller list, sitting just behind a title on Salman Khan
No celebrity face on the cover. No scandal. No massive marketing campaign. Just a single-screen owner from Bihar writing about why cinemas refuse to die
“People keep asking why cinemas are dying,” Chauhan says. “The more interesting question is why they keep surviving”
That idea drives the book, which explores how movie theatres outlived television, VHS, DVDs, piracy, streaming, and even pandemics
The Industry Is Rallying Behind It
What makes the story more remarkable is who is supporting it.
Independent exhibitors across India have begun giving away copies through contests and audience engagement initiatives. Among them are Pawan Agrawal (DD Cinema), Akshay Rathi (Aashirwad Cinema), Satadeep Saha (SSR Cinemas), Avinash Singh (APR Cinemas), Ruban (GK Cinemas), and Abhishek Gupta (Sanjay Cineplex).
Akshay Rathi calls it “the beat of every film exhibitor’s heart,” while others describe it as a reflection of the highs, lows, and resilience of the cinema business.
Why It Resonates
The timing is hard to ignore. Streaming platforms are bigger than ever, yet audiences continue to return to theatres for major films.
Chauhan believes the reason goes beyond technology.
“Cinemas are more than buildings. They are one of the last places where complete strangers experience the same story at the same moment.”
Whether one agrees or not, the book leaves readers with a simple question:
If movie theatres were supposed to die decades ago, why are they still here?
Cinemas Forever by Vishek Chauhan is available now on Amazon India.
Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0H4QPHT38
