In the 1970s the film industry continued to thrive by doing what a television could not. In fact, visiting the cinemas or theatre as most people back then called it, was exciting, especially for families that didn’t own a TV.
And the now 63-year-old Stella Lal knows the feeling very well. Born and bred in Lami Town, Ms Lal resided in Nukuwatu during the ‘70s.
She attended the famous Marist Convent Primary School before she made her way to Saint Joseph’s Secondary School, Waimanu Rd.
The Lami Parish Hall was the go-to for movie nights, but this only happened on Sunday nights at 8pm with an admission of 20 cents.
Children would be sprawled on the floor with their pillows and blankets, fall off to sleep and eventually wake up when it was time to go home. But that all changed when talks about construction of a theatre surfaced and it finally became a reality in the ‘70s.
Ms Lal was but a 17-year-old then and fresh out of high school. The Lami Plaza Theatre was the first cinema she stepped foot in. She described it as an “exciting time for the young, middle-aged and elderly”.
“I lived in Nukuwatu then and that’s why I remember so clearly,” she said.
“At that time, Motibhai was a big supermarket at Lami Town, where Shop n Save stands today. That was where Motibhai once stood.
“We just saw how all the construction was going on and we heard that a theatre was going to be built and finally the grand opening of the cinema took place.”
With a milk bar located at the entrance, the theatre was what one would call “the new kid on the block”.
“We would pay for our ticket at the entrance before heading inside. Tickets were 50 cents, that was for downstairs and 80 cents for upstairs.
“It was a real boost for the people of Lami because we didn’t have anything like that, and we didn’t have TVs as well.
“I remember when The Plaza first opened, it was packed with young people, the middle-aged and old people.”
Ms Lal said every Tuesday at 8pm, a Hindi movie would be showing.
“This was when all the old Fijian ladies would gather to watch, and they would come with their handkerchief to wipe their tears.
“I remember in Nukuwatu, my two bubu (grandmothers), they would plan that every Tuesday they would go and watch. Even my aunties from Lami Village and Suvavou would make their way to watch.
“That was like the specialty for Tuesdays.” The Lami Plaza was known for its double features and triple features.
“Double feature was two movies, but we paid for the same price. But if it’s a long weekend, then you are lucky to watch three movies in one night – triple feature.
“This was always in the night, so one movie could start at 7pm or 8pm and after that we would have a little break before we watched the next two.
“Sometimes we would walk out of the cinema around 1am or 2am after a triple feature.”
She said all the Lami children loved the Lami Plaza because it was a walking distance.
“We all loved the triple feature because we lived near it was easier for us to get to the theatre and to go back home.
“We had the gang from Kalekana, Qauia and even Matata – everybody would just walk to the cinema.”
One of her best memories at the theatre was when she had her two cousins accompany her.
“I had a cousin who was known as a bully to everyone, but after watching a triple feature one night we seemed different.
“We watched a horror movie and so on our way home, he was glued to the girl’s side.
“We asked him ‘what’s wrong, why are you clinging on to us’ and he said, “no I was really scared of that movie” and instead of him sleeping alone he suggested that we were to all sleep together at either their home or mine.”
Mini shorts and bell-bottom pants were a hit for the young girls. And once every month Ms Lal along with her siblings and cousins, would visit the Phoenix Theatre.
“We could collect wrappers of anything that was of Nestle brand and then we could go for a free movie, and this happened once a month. We took advantage of that opportunity.
“Because my mum was working at that time, she would collect all these wrappers from work and buy milo.
“Five wrappers were for the downstairs theatre and eight wrappers for upstairs.”
Ms Lal moved from Nukuwatu to Lami Village after their house was partially destroyed after a major flood in 1989.
“I think they took down the theatre during that year as well, or I may be wrong. I’m not sure why they did, but I guess it was because of the new bar that had opened on the corner side of the theatre.
“And I think that was one of the factors that spoiled things for the theatre, because some would drink and then want to go watch a movie while drunk. But because we were young girls then, that’s what we thought.
“I’m glad I got to experience and make memories at the Lami Plaza Theatre. I tell my children that we started off at the theatre in Lami and those were our good old days.”
