Swamikannu Vincent starts touring tent cinemas
Coimbatore's Swamikannu Vincent began showing films in tent cinemas in 1905 and opened the Variety Hall theatre in 1914.
Swamikannu Vincent, born in Coimbatore in 1883, worked as a railway draftsman before turning to film exhibition. In 1905 he set up tent cinemas, where films were projected in makeshift tents in open spaces. In 1914 he built Variety Hall in Coimbatore, one of the first permanent cinema halls in South India. He later brought electric power to the area around the hall and co-produced films in the sound era.
