THRISSUR: The Ragam Theatre, now Georgetten’s Ragam, accredited as one of the largest cinema halls in the state during its inception in mid-70’s, will soon witness its own climax scene, as the authorities are all set to demolish it in order to morph the theatre into a multiplex along with a mall.
The cinema hall, located on the southern entrance of the Sree Vadakkunatha Tample, could seat over thousands at a time and boasted of cutting-edge technology as it was one of the pioneers in launching the 70 MM screens and 7 track DTS sound systems in the state.
However, all that will become mere history on January 7, when the screening will be stopped to give way for the demolishing works.The theatre is owned by George Nereaparambil, owner of the gulf-based Geo group, who bought the theatre from the previous owner a few years ago. The mall, named Geo Mall, is being envisaged as an enterprise with a social commitment rather than a mere business venture.
The proposed 16-storeyed multiplex will have four theatres, with a combined seating capacity of 700, on the eighth floor.
In addition to the multiplex and several shopping outlets, there will be facilities for recreation and amusement at the mall.
A huge umbrella will be raised on top of the complex, taking a cue from the famous ‘Kuda mattam’ ceremony of Thrissur pooram. Similar to the original ‘Kuda mattam’, the colours of the giant umbrella will keep changing during the night.