Source: The San Francisco Chronicle
SAN FRANCISCO, UNITED STATES, January 8, 2003: It’s a small sign of a big change for California’s Indian-Americans. Once busy showing Bollywood blockbusters, a Fremont theater specializing in Indian films, relocated to a smaller home this week after attendance dropped along with the tech economy. The theater, which serves South Asians hungry for a taste of home in the films and at the snack bar, which sold spiced tea, samosas and other traditional food, went from a high of 20,000 moviegoers per week in 2000, to less than half of that, said owner Shiraz Jivani. In 2000 there were 98,699 immigrants from India in the Bay Area, 10,035 from Pakistan and 1,402 from Bangladesh, according to the U.S. Census. Sanjay Tandon, co-president of NetIP, a South Asian networking group, recalled the theater’s popularity. Moviegoers would come from all over Northern California, some staying for all-day film marathons. “It had the ambiance of an Indian movie theater. Indian movies tend to be a family affair, with everyone from grandparents to kids, laughing and crying.” However, in the downturn, many Indian tech workers lost their jobs and their H-1B visas. “H-1Bs used to be more homesick than the people who made their home here. We counted on those,” Jivani said. “Unfortunately, as the dot-coms busted, so did our business.”