Kashmir has rediscovered cinema. A special showing of Laal Sigh Chaddha, starring Aamir Khan, marked the opening of Srinagar’s first multiplex and put an end to movie fans’ three-decade wait to see their favorite actors on the big screen.
The Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant General launched an Inox multiplex with more than 500 seats in Srinagar. He said that a movie city will soon be built in the Valley.
All kinds of entertainment were banned in Kashmir in 1989 when militancy first appeared there. Theaters were closed by extremist groups on demand, and anyone who resisted them was assaulted.
The history of Kashmiri films is as old as Indian Bollywood. The “Kashmir Talkie,” Srinagar’s first movie theatre, opened its doors in 1932. It was renamed Palladium cinema two years before Mumbai’s Bombay Talkies film studio was founded.
Eventually, Kashmir saw the development of Regal cinema and numerous additional theatres. Many of them have previously featured in Hollywood films.
However, due to the rise in militancy supported by religious fanaticism, all theatres were closed. There were various attempts to reestablish theatres, but they were all unsuccessful due to fear and a lack of moviegoers in the Valley.
Inaugurating the multiplex today, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha criticized past administrations for not doing more to resurrect theatres in Kashmir.
They (leaders) see movies in Delhi and other countries as well, but nothing was done to revitalize film for the general public, according to Sinha. He said that recent filming in Kashmir saw a boom that led to the development of a film metropolis.
“We have located the property and are constantly in contact with the residents.” There are specific limits for locals under the new film regulation. We’re providing incentives to regional filmmakers, he remarked.
Since 1998, at least three theatres that were shut down by radical organizations—Neelam, Regal, and Broadway—have been reopened. But owing to a lack of moviegoers, they all closed their doors in less than two years.
The multiplex’s organizers are hoping that this time the curse will be broken.
Author: Astha Singh
Leave a Reply