Latest news with #Kalabhavan
Time of India
6 days ago
- Time of India
Rights panel orders inquiry into alleged overpricing of food items at Kalabhavan Theatre
Thiruvananthapuram: State human rights commission (SHRC) ordered an inquiry into the alleged overpricing of food items at Kalabhavan Theatre, owned and operated by Kerala State Film Development Corporation. Commission chairperson Justice Alexander Thomas issued the directive following a complaint that food was being sold at rates nearly double to the rates displayed there. The complaint was lodged by Waheed, a Kottur resident, who claimed that customers were being charged Rs 100 for popcorn, while the displayed price was only Rs 60. He noted that the discrepancy was not limited to Kalabhavan but was also reportedly prevalent in other theatres across the city. Justice Thomas instructed secretaries of local self-govt department, civil supplies department and corporation to examine the complaint and submit a detailed report within a month. SHRC emphasised that consumers have the right to be charged transparently and fairly, especially at public or govt-affiliated venues. If the allegations were found to be true, it could amount to unfair trade practices and exploitation of cinemagoers, SHRC observed. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Gold Is Surging in 2025 — Smart Traders Are Already In IC Markets Learn More Undo This incident also reignited broader concerns about unchecked food pricing in cinema halls, which remain outside the purview of standard consumer protection norms in many cases. Consumer rights activists have welcomed the SHRC move, urging authorities to implement price regulation more strictly across all theatres. The outcome of the investigation could lead to regulatory changes or fines for violators, particularly in govt-affiliated venues like Kalabhavan, which is expected to follow public accountability norms. Further action will be based on the findings submitted by the departments concerned.
New Indian Express
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Moonwalking with the ‘Michael Jacksons' of good-old Kochi
Way before 'Moonwalk' flickered to life on screen, Sreejith P, 'dance master' of the film, had already choreographed it in spirit. Decades ago. In the bylanes of Tripunithura, on the dusty grounds of Thoppumpady, along vacant corridors, and inside tiny rented rooms. For Sreejith, 'Moonwalk' is not a film. It's a memory. It's survival. It's poetry. It's an ode to those who danced before they knew what a dance studio was, before Instagram reels turned a pirouette into a punchline. 'I saw myself in every scene,' he says. 'When the film wrapped, I cried. I remembered the kid who danced alone in a corridor, mimicking Michael Jackson moves seen once on a neighbour's TV. I remembered the years where I had no floor to rehearse on, just imagination.' Sreejith grew up in Tripunithura. But his first true steps into dance began in Thoppumpady. Every summer, his parents would send him and his brother to their grandmother's home. And it was here, outside the Thoppumpady church, that he encountered something transformative. 'They had these local shows, sometimes with recorded music playing from a speaker, sometimes with just claps. It wasn't polished. But it was raw, powerful. It was breakdance. I was 10. It lit a fire in me,' he recalls. His brother, who passed away in 2007, was a quiet cheerleader. 'We used to try moves at home, watching street performers and imitating them. Those were our masterclasses.' Sreejith began his formal journey at Kalabhavan, learning under the legendary Johnson Master, a name that echoes in most breakdancers' memory from that era. 'There would be 300 people in a batch. I always stood at the back,' he recalls. 'I was shy. I had no confidence. Johnson sir saw me and pulled me to the front. That moment changed my life.' Today, Johnson Master runs a cycle shop. But for Sreejith, he remains a monument. 'He was the best dancer India never knew. He didn't chase fame. He danced with madness. Passion. That's what I miss in today's generation,' says Sreejith. Now, Sreejith runs Dazzlers Dance Studio, with branches in Kadavanthra, Vyttila and more. But his proudest creation is Boho Space — a sanctuary in Tripunithura for any artist needing silence, solace, or a place to just be. Sreejith believes he helped birth a new dance language in Kochi — one rooted in breakdance but blossoming into cinematic storytelling. 'There was a time when dance in Malayalam cinema meant a few steps behind the hero. We changed that. Now it tells a story,' he says.
