THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Here’s good news for the city-zens of Thiruvananthapuram. The Kalabhavan theatre at Vazhuthacaud will be closed soon, but for a good cause; for, it will get a thorough makeover in the coming months. Kalabhavan will be the first among the ten theatres owned by the Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC) to undergo renovation this year. Cine buffs would soon be able to enjoy a new movie experience here as the theatre would present the best ambience when it re-emerges as a releasing centre with all the modern technology.
But there is a slight change in the modernisation plan. It will not be a multiplex as decided earlier.
“We had planned to convert the balcony portion into one theatre and the rest into another. There was an after-thought as it is one of the theatres in the city where a large number of families still flock to watch movies. If we divide it into two, it would become two small theatres. So, it will continue to feature a single screen, but with multiplex facilities,” KSFDC Chairman Sabu Cherian told Express.
The renovation is expected to cost Rs 45-50 lakh and take two months.
The theatre now has two sections - a balcony with 144 seats and 360 seats in ‘reserved’ section. The number of seats will come down after renovation as bigger seats would be installed. It will be a more cooler hall in the new avatar, with split air-conditioners.
Kalabhavan is one of the theatres with a good parking space in the city. It can hold more than 50 four-wheelers and almost double that number of two-wheelers.
The construction of the complex which holds the KSFDC head office along with Kalabhavan theatre was inaugurated on July 23, 1977 by the then Chief Minister A K Antony. It took six-and-a-half years to complete and was inaugurated on January 27, 1984 by the then Chief Minister K Karunakaran.