06 January 2024, 02:00 AM IST
Kottayam: Thresyamma George loved cinema more than anything else in life. That love is the reason why she sold the family property to support the family when her husband died and bought the ‘Green Land’ theater in Cherutoni, Idukki and turned it into ‘Green Land Cinemas’. Even though many people thought ‘What’s wrong with this’, Yetrasyamma, at the age of 75, has the conviction that cinema will save her.
However, the life of the theater owner was not as colorful as in the movie. But he did not falter in any storm. Now daughter-in-law and grandchildren are fans of the movie.
The eldest son was 14 years old when V.V.George, a businessman, died in Churuthoni Vazhaparanpil. Three children below that. Film was also a means of income to bring them to a level.
Greenland was started in Cherutoni in 1964 during the construction of Idukki Dam.
When people didn’t turn up, the owner put the theater up for sale, 32-year-old Thresyamma thought nothing of it. sold the family property and bought Greenland; Price is Rs 2.80 Lakhs. A decision that others might describe as suicidal for a widower with fledgling children.
The courage to look at the theater itself was lost several times. “But I thought of it as an opportunity to learn life. I have thought that the theater will be closed due to reduced income. Yet the theater was renovated” – says Yetrasyamma.
The theater was digitized in 2007. One of the top 12 digital theaters in Kerala. At that time, the eldest son’s wife, Kottayam Institute of Communication and Journalism Principal Dr. Ligimol P. Jacob Ph.D. And that was the chosen subject to do. The topic was ‘Impact of Digital Cinema in Kerala’.
“In 2010, there was an accident and the theater was closed for a few days only when he was bedridden. Renovated after five years. Still the income is not that much. Children and relatives asked – sell it? But I love theater as much as my children. Can it be sold then?” – asks Yetrasyamma. There is also a reason that now children and grandchildren are fans of the movie.
The eldest son, Adv.Babychan V.George, who is the president of the Idukki Bar Association, has two children who are filmmakers. Eldest son George Varghese is a short film director. One of the papers submitted for the master’s degree is a study of historical films. The second is Jake Varghese, a film actor.
