Acharya Atre Auditorium In Kalyan Faces Outrage Over Poor Infrastructure After 'Albatya Galbatya' Video Goes Viral

Kalyan: The deteriorating condition of the iconic Acharya Atre auditorium in Kalyan has triggered outrage after artistes from the popular Marathi play Albatya Galbatya released a video highlighting the theatre’s alleged poor infrastructure and mismanagement.

The video, which has now gone viral on social media, has raised serious questions over the maintenance of one of the city’s key cultural venues.

The artistes alleged that despite repeated complaints over the last several years, authorities have failed to address multiple technical and infrastructural issues inside the auditorium. They warned that if immediate corrective measures are not taken, theatre groups may stop staging performances at the venue altogether.

Performances Interrupted Due To Technical Failures

In the viral video, the cast pointed to several shortcomings within the theatre premises, including repeated electrical sparking incidents and malfunctioning technical systems during live performances.

Actor Shraddha Hande stated that the situation has become increasingly unsafe for performers as well as audiences. According to her, technical glitches have forced the play to be halted midway on multiple occasions.

“Over the last few years, we have had to stop performances nearly four to five times because of technical failures and electrical issues,” she reportedly said in the video, adding that the interruptions caused major inconvenience to both artistes and theatre-goers.

The artistes further claimed that despite bringing the issues to the notice of the management repeatedly, no substantial improvements have been made.

Questions Raised Over Renovation Expenditure

The controversy has also reignited questions over the renovation work carried out during the COVID-19 lockdown period. According to the artistes, the theatre remained shut for repairs during the lockdown and lakhs of rupees were allegedly spent on renovation works. However, they claim that even basic facilities remain in poor condition.

Among the key concerns raised were non-functional air-conditioning systems, inadequate backstage facilities and recurring technical breakdowns. Audience members are reportedly forced to watch performances in uncomfortable conditions due to the malfunctioning AC system.

The artistes alleged that complaints regarding these issues have been consistently raised for the last three to four years without any meaningful response from the authorities.

Meanwhile, members of the theatre management committee reportedly defended the administration, claiming that no other theatre group had raised similar concerns. They questioned why only the team of ‘Albatya Galbatya’ was making complaints regarding the venue’s condition.

Shiv Sena (UBT) Demands Probe

The issue has now taken a political turn, with leaders of Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) entering the fray.

Local functionary Umesh Borgaonkar criticised the condition of the civic-run theatre and demanded an inquiry into the renovation work. He alleged possible corruption in the repair process and said it was unacceptable that basic facilities were still unavailable despite crores of rupees allegedly being spent on maintenance and upgrades.

He further stated that cultural spaces meant for artistes and citizens cannot be allowed to deteriorate in such a manner.

Artistes Warn Of Boycott

The artistes have now issued a strong warning, stating that they may discontinue future performances at the venue if urgent repairs are not undertaken.

They said the neglect of cultural infrastructure was harmful not only to artistes but also to the larger theatre movement and audience community. Following the viral video controversy, attention is now firmly on the civic administration and whether it initiates immediate action to restore the theatre’s condition.

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