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.