KOCHI: Kochi has witnessed much progress in the past few decades. Curtailed by the sea, much of the city’s development has been in its hinterlands, especially Kakkanad. This once-quiet residential neighborhood saw a change in fortunes with the advent of Infopark in 2004. It transformed the city into the state’s IT hub and set it on a path to becoming a metropolis.
Yet, despite this transformation, the avenues of entertainment in the city, especially theatres, the most democratic of the options and the preferred one, remain concentrated at only two locations. To be precise, along two arterial roads — MG Road and the Edappally-Maradu stretch of the highway.
There are around five theatres on MG Road, four of which are in close proximity to each other, with only a kilometre between them. The fifth, Kanoos cinema, is just two kilometres away. “If you include Saritha Savitha Sangeetha theatre on Banerji Road and Sridar cinema on Shanmugham Road, both of which are easily accessible from MG Road, that’s seven already in a small area,” says Akhil Andrew, a finance professional.
It’s a similar case on the Edappally-Maradu stretch of the highway. Only a few kilometres separate five theatres (one of which is defunct). “All the new multiplexes have come up along this highway stretch. Some of them are atop shopping malls. Their arrival has certainly helped bolster this stretch, turning it into one of the city’s commercial corridors,” adds Akhil.
However, for the majority of the people in Kakkanad, the thought of not having a theatre in their own neighbourhood aches like a decaying tooth. Sometimes, when they are caught in a traffic snarl trying to get to a city theatre, the pain, which was until then subdued, is biting real.
Why isn’t there a theatre in Kakkanad yet? Most would wonder. The easily conceivable and obvious reasons would fail to justify why a suburb, home to four great institutions, namely Infopark, the Cochin Special Economic Zone, Smart City and KINFRA Industrial Park, and employing lakhs of people doesn’t have a theatre yet.
“It is very puzzling. Kakkanad is where the jobs are, and, without a doubt, it is also where most of the youngsters reside. Not having a theatre in the locality is indeed a significant disadvantage. Who would want to wade through hours of traffic after work to go to the cinema in a faraway place?” rues Clarence Thomson, an IT professional and Kakkanad resident.
According to him, it is this difficulty that initially prompted more and more people to embrace streaming services. “If there’s a theatre nearby, wouldn’t all prefer to see their favourite flicks on the big screen? I know I would. It offers a complete cinematic experience,” adds Clarence.
Susanth Kurunthil, chief executive officer of Infopark, holds a similar opinion. More than 67,000 employees work across 580 companies in Infopark alone. The majority of them reside near the IT complex. Some, with their families. “Considering the traffic in the city after office hours, it would be tiresome for professionals to undertake additional travel to reach the nearest entertainment hub,” says Susanth, who is a seasoned IT professional.
Arjun C L, who works in UST Global, says that the necessity of theatre in Kakkanad is a frequent topic of discussion within his circle of friends. “To catch a movie, we have to go as far as Edappally and MG Road. Most of the modern theatres are located there,” Arjun says.
While this is not a big concern for the men, that’s not the case for women techies. “Most of them reside in nearby hostels, all of which have curfews after evening hours. Going to the city to see a flick in the rush hour traffic and returning in time is challenging. So, most don’t. Lack of public transportation is also a hurdle. Some autorickshaw drivers refuse to go to Infopark Phase 2 after work hours,” says Reshmi Rajan, assistant project manager at Paradigm.
While there is some truth to the argument that the lack of theatres in Kakkanad is a fallout of there not being an adequate public transportation system in place, the fact of the matter is that these options would only materialise once more entertainment avenues are open and thriving.
That’s not all. There used to be theatres in Kakkanad long before public transport (or the lack of it) became a bone of contention. The Assainar Kasim Beevi cine house, located at Vazhakkala, was a flourishing establishment until it shut down in 1996. Palamattam Cine House near NGO quarters ran until 2015 despite the fact that its old systems were only capable of running film reels and not their digital formats.
“Our theatre at NGO quarters boasted 600 seats and played three shows daily” says Anil Palamattam, whose family owned several theatres in Ernakulam. According to him, it was the digitalisation of theatres that forced his family to call down the shutters once and for all at Palamattam Cine House.
Long-term residents of the region once associated NGO quarters with this theatre. “Despite the lack of public transport to the region back then, a slew of establishments sprang up near the theatre catering to the cinema-going masses. There was an old toy shop near the NGO quarters circle that sold Rayban-like spectacles every time a Mohanlal movie hit the big screen. This kind of development around a theatre, I believe, is true in other places as well,” says Akhil Dileep, a local resident.
Infopark CEO Susanth strongly emphasis the need for multiplexes and other entertainment venues in Kakkanad region. “They are essential and could be game-changers, creating more opportunities to socialise and paving the way for innovative ideas.” Deepa Ashik of Prathidhwani, an IT professionals body, too, seconds this. “Multiplexes are essential to foster a vibrant nightlife,” she says.
Rashid Ullampilly, the councillor of the NGO quarters ward, enjoins that “there is a need for not just theatres but also shopping malls, cafes, nightclubs, and auditoriums — spaces where people can spend time together.”
According to him, those employed in Infopark and Smart City currently allocate a significant portion, approximately 60 per cent, of their income to neighbouring municipalities. “This trend is primarily attributed to the absence of sufficient entertainment venues in Thrikkakara. The introduction of theatres in Kakkanad would not only generate employment opportunities but also contribute to the municipality’s revenue and by extension, its growth,” he adds.
For Kochi to become the metropolis it yearns to be, it is imperative that the city expands past the suburbs. This much is known. One of the ways to get there is to ensure that there are ample entertainment options to draw the public. And what among the lot than theatres, wherein one could, for as cheap as Rs 100, shed their burdens of the day and be regaled in the splendour of the reel world, both the familiar and the new.
Despite nestling Infopark, which employs over half a lakh people, a majority of whom are youngsters, Kakkanad boasts very few entertainment avenues. The case is more profound when you look at the number of theatres it is home to — zero.