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CURTAINS FOR KOKERS?
One Of The City's Oldest Theatres Might Soon Be Replaced With A Multiplex
Greeshma Gopal Giri | TNN
One of Kochi’s oldest movie halls and the first to introduce 70mm cinema in Kerala is in danger of being shut down.Kokers is the latest in a series of single-screen cinemas to run into trouble (see inset on history). The owners of Kokers in Fort Kochi are caught in a land dispute with the civic corporation which may lead to the closure of the over 50-year-old theatre. The genesis of the dispute is the lease for the plot on which Kokers stands. With the lease now coming to an end, the corporation plans to retrieve the land and redevelop the hall as a multiplex.
Kokers is managed by the family of Siyad Koker, a well-known film producer and theatre owner. Koker had entered into a deal with the Corporation, which owns the land measuring 52 cents, in 1977. Back then, Koker had taken over the management of the property from a prominent film distributor named T K Parikutty.
The Corporation’s unwillingness to renew the lease stems from the view that the place is poorly managed. “It was initially leased for 30 years and the lease ended in 1995. Then the Corporation continued to renew it till 2008. The owners have not made any effort to carry out proper maintenance of the structure. Hence we intend to take it back,” said Mayor Tony Chammany. Koker, however, disputes the Corporation’s view and has already taken the matter to court. “We have spent huge amounts on the building and machinery inside the theatre. How can I revamp it spending more than Rs 1 crore when the Corporation has rejected my appeals for renewing the lease deed?,” he asked. Koker said he would approach Kerala High Court to stop the Corporation from carrying out an eviction. The last time the case was in court Koker had managed to get an order favouring renewal of the lease.
Kokers has a colourful history which parallels the growth of the movie industry in Kerala. “In the beginning it was a small thatched theatre owned by the then Fort Kochi municipality. When the municipality wanted to expand its business interest, they invited private partnership. That was how it turned into a hall with a 70mm screen,”said K J Sohan, former mayor and resident of Fort Kochi.
The theatre was then known as Zina and was managed by Parikutty until his death. His family later took over the theatre, but it closed down in 1976 following differences in the family. Later, A B Abdul Khader, father of Siyad Koker, bought the property in 1977.
At its prime, Kokers drew crowds from across the state for both Hindi and Malayalam movies. Sohan pointed out that the movie hall found a mention in Arundhati Roy’s novel, God of Small Things as “Mahalakshmi theatre”.
FIRST 70 mm, NOW HISTORY
Much before Kokers was built, the plot housed a small cinema called Majestic which operated out of a shed. This was later converted into a bigger theatre called Zina and managed by T K Parikutty, a film distributor. This was however shut down due to a family feud in 1976. It was then bought by A B Abdul Khader (Koker) in 1977 and thus its name. Koker is Kerala's first 70mm single screen cinema theatre
Frank Sinatra's Can-Can was the first movie to play here. The movie revolves around a forbidden dance in which women lift their skirts. Shirley MacLaine played the female lead in this 1960 movie
Mymoon and Lulu theatres, also belonging to the Kokers group, were shut down six years ago. The twin theatres now lie in a decrepit state
Similarly, Menaka, the first talkie theatre in Ernakulam, was shut down and replaced with a shopping complex
FOCUS ON FORT KOCHI
The plan to convert Kokers into a multiplex is based on projections regarding the need to create more outlets for entertainment in the Fort Kochi area. Administrators are of the view that since the area attracts a large number of tourists, it requires more avenues for leisure and recreation. “K B Ganesh Kumar, minister for cinema, has indicated that the state would provide financial support and it can be executed on a public-private partnership basis,” said a senior official.
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