Coolidge's Cinema Masala Expands Nationwide, Bringing Indian Film Classics to Five Cities

Brookline's Coolidge Corner Theatre unveiled a new initiative on Monday, Nov. 9, expanding its popular Cinema Masala series from its Brookline home to five additional art-house cinemas across the country. Theatres in San Francisco, Houston, Tampa, Atlanta and New York City will each screen a program of five classics of Indian popular cinema, many rarely seen on the big screen in North America.

Begun in 2025 and presented monthly, Cinema Masala has already brought 10 screenings of beloved Indian popular films to the Coolidge. The inaugural season sold more than 2,000 tickets, with many patrons expressing joy and gratitude for the chance to see these films on the big screen.

The national program's five-film lineup is made up of restored classics and more recent favorites: SHOLAY (1975), MANTHAN (1976), PAKEEZAH (1972), DILWALE DULHANIA LE JAYENGE (1995) and HUM AAPKE HAIN KOUN..! (1994).

The partner theatres are the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, New York; the Plaza Theatre in Atlanta; the River Oaks Theatre in Houston; the Roxie Theater in San Francisco; and the Tampa Theatre in Tampa. Cinema Masala is presented in association with the Mumbai-based Film Heritage Foundation and was founded and made possible by Sapna Saxena. The program is also providing grants to the participating theatres to subsidize promotion and special events, and there is no cost for a partner cinema to take part. Screenings begin in late 2026 and continue into the spring and summer of 2027.

"I grew up watching Indian films, and there's something truly special about experiencing them on the big screen," said Saxena, who conceived the program with the Coolidge. "My hope is that Cinema Masala will connect the Indian diaspora with its local theatres, introduce new audiences to Indian film and help these wonderful community institutions thrive."

Story written and reviewed by Mark Allen Wood.