KOCHI: If Kochi corporation can acquire around five acres of land, the city has the opportunity to enhance its status as the hub of Malayalam film industry. On Friday, Cultural Affairs Minister Saji Cherian put forth a proposal to build a film city in Kochi during the opening ceremony of the Regional International Film Festival of Kerala (RIFFK).
Mayor M Anilkumar said that the minister’s announcement came as a pleasant surprise. “During a recent telephonic conversation with the minister, I had requested the state government’s help to revive the Kokers theatre, which is one of the oldest cinema halls in Kochi and a major landmark of west Kochi,” he said.
He said he had also sought aid to set up a film museum at Kokers.“But the minister asked me to find some more land. And at the RIFFK inaugural function, after I finished my speech, the minister announced the project,” he said.
The film city will house cinemas and have facilities required for shooting films.“Kochi and various locales in central Kerala have become a hub of the Malayalam film industry. So it is fitting that a film city comes up in Kochi. However, acquiring land for the project may pose some problems,” Anilkumar said.
Still, the corporation is firm on initiating steps to realise the project for which fund has already been set aside in the state budget, the mayor said. He said another request placed before the minister too got the nod. “We wanted the RIFFK to be an annual event as it would boost the tourism prospects of the city. The minister heeded our request and promised us that the festival will be held in the city every year,” Anilkumar said.