Kashmir’s first multiplex to screen Bollywood Films from September
Thirty-two years after the separatist militants imposed ‘ban’ on cinema and enforced it with repression and violence, the valley of Kashmir is all set to get the first ever multiplex theatre in September 2022.
A prominent political and business family with stake in entertainment, education and hospitality, has completed the construction of a complex which would start screening of the popular Indian films next month.
This multiplex of three auditoriums with 520 seats is coming up in Srinagar’s Shivpora area where the Kashmiris for decades enjoyed Bollywood hits at the popular Broadway Cinema.
Sources revealed that initially the owners were holding negotiations with Priya Village Roadshow Ltd (PVR), the pioneers of multiplex revolution in India, to operate the entertainment hub with all the modern facilities. However their agreement matured with INOX Leisure which finally designed the theaters.
Early this year PVR and Inox announced their merger at a time when PVR was operating 871 screens at 181 properties in 73 Indian cities while Inox ran 675 screens at 160 properties in 72 cities.
There were a total of 9500 screens across India which remained closed and suffered huge losses due to the Covid pandemic in 2020 and 2021.
Among the two capital cities in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Jammu has over a dozen cinema halls. Some of them have been turned into multiplexes in the last 10 years. A number of theaters are also operating in Udhampur, Kathua and other major towns in the Jammu province.
“The decision to come up with multiplex cinema has been appreciated by the erstwhile Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Satya Pal Malik as well as the incumbent dispensation including Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha.
The government has encouraged us for such a unique initiative,” he said, adding that hopefully, the multiplex cinema would be thrown open next month.
“There are two motives behind this initiative. One is to provide facilities for entertainment to the children and other is to strengthen the bond between Kashmir and the Indian film industry.
Kashmir’s relationship with Indian film industry was too good in the past, so it will be a contribution towards reviving the previous relation,” Dhar said.
