[A]side from being cultural motifs, single-screen theatres have also served as integral architectural landmarks. Often nestled in the heart of a given city, these public spaces highlight regional architectural trends as well as the specific cultural milieu, their edifice and design as awe-inspiring as the contents they showcase. For filmmaker-photographer Hemant Chaturvedi, who recently documented around 950 of these remaining single-screen cinemas to preserve our country’s historical past—an investigation that led him to travel over 35,000 kilometres, 800-plus towns, and 15 states–"there is no sound more deafening than the silence in an abandoned cinema theatre,” as he relays over a remote interview.

....