Photo Courtesy: nenews
Guwahati: Shankar Lall Goenka died at his Guwahati home on November 6. He was 90 years old. A major figure in Northeast India's film scene, Goenka leaves behind a son and two daughters. He spent his life building on the cinema legacy started by his father, Jeevanram Goenka, who opened the first Kelvin Cinema halls in Shillong in 1926 and Guwahati in 1935.
The family began distributing movies in 1961. Goenka worked to bring independent films to the region and collaborated with directors like Jahnu Barua, Pradip Kurbah, and Manju Borah. He also helped run the Kelvin Film Festival alongside Pradip Kurbah, Dominic Sangma, and their crew. Through the Jeevanram Mungi Devi Charitable Trust, he honored leaders in literature and film.
Goenka pushed for years to restore the Kelvin Cinema in Guwahati after it closed in 2010. He first drafted plans to update the building in 1982. The project hit constant snags and stalled further during the COVID-19 pandemic. The venue finally returned as Kelvin Gold on December 3, 2025. This date marked his 90th birthday, a fitting end to his goal of "bringing the iconic theatre back to life." His death ends a long era for the region's cultural community.
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