How ‘blackers’ did business on Bollywood hits in Srinagar
Their livelihood was dependent on the popularity of the Bollywood films. From Prithviraj Kapoor and Madhubala to Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini, Indian film icons were like gods of wealth for them. People used to call them ‘blackers’. They used to buy tickets in bulk in advance and sell the same at exorbitant rates—two to three times of the fixed rate—to the legion of the movie buffs who failed to make it to the window.
Emboldened by the release of five detained militants in exchange for the then union Home Minister Mufti Sayeed’s daughter, Dr. Rubaiya Sayeed, the militants imposed a ban on all forms of entertainment media and enforced the same with threats from 31 December 1989. Attempts to revive cinema failed even as the then Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah opened three theatres, invited producers and directors to the valley in 1998 and announced cash assistance of Rs. 10 lakh to the iconic Bollywood villain Amrish Puri who was in the valley
When Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha inaugurated Kashmir’s first Inox multiplex on 20 September 1998, it brought back memories of the summer capital’s ‘blackers’ who did brisk businesses out of black marketing of tickets 1960s through 1980s. Netizens posted on social media pictures of the massive crowds and posters of Manmohan Desai’s 1979 magnum opus ‘Suhaag’ on the façade of Palladium at Lalchowk.
One of the photographs shows the then most popular pairs—Amitabh Bachchan-Rekha and Shahshi Kapoor-Parveen Babi. It appears to have been clicked on 30 October 1979 when the film was released for all-India screening.
“Suhaag had the most popular songs like ‘Aajimtihanhai’, ‘O Sheron Wali’, ‘Teri rab ne bandijodi’. Palladium had a total capacity of about 1000 seats but more than 3000 people gathered. Ismala, the dreaded bouncer and muscleman with a thick leather belt always in his hands, maintained order. The blackers sold tickets at three to four times the fixed rate. It continued for over a month”, said Ghulam Mohiuddin, now a retired government employee, who failed to get a ticket.
