Historic Day for J&K! Multipurpose cinema halls open in Pulwama, Shopian

Srinagar, Sept 19: In a significant development in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha inaugurated multipurpose cinema halls in South Kashmir's Pulwama and Shopian districts. Terming it as a "historic day", Sinha said that this step will help to create employment for the youth.

 

Sinha tweeted, "A historic day for J&K UT! Inaugurated Multipurpose Cinema Halls at Pulwama and Shopian. It offers facilities ranging from movie screening, infotainment and skilling of youth." Apart from screening movies, the multipurpose theatres will also be used for various other purposes like infotainment and skill development programs.

 

 

In his address speech, he said, "Providing health infrastructure, employment, quality education to the youths and to empower them is our priority" adding that these types of initiatives will not only help in generating employment but also provide social security to our youths.

 

 

Due to fatwas from radical Islamists and the Kashmiri Hindus genocide in 1990, the cinema halls in J&K were shut down and disrupted the normalcy in the union territory. The radical Islamists had labelled the audio-visual entertainment as “Haram,” which means something against Islamic principles.

The valley had 19 film halls in Srinagar, Anantnag, Baramulla, Sopore, Handwara, and Kupwara, however, these have either become ruins or are being used for various commercial purposes. Srinagar alone had ten cinema halls screening Bollywood films, including Firdaus, Shiraz, Khayam, Naaz, Neelam, Broadway, Regal, and Palladium.

 

 

In 1999, when the Farooq Abdullah government attempted to open cinema theatres by allowing Regal, Neelam, and Broadway to begin filming movies. However, a terrorist attack occurred during the first show at the Regal Cinema, killing one person and injuring twelve others. Terrorists had attacked the cinema hall with three powerful hand grenades, and as a result, the theatres were once again locked.

 

 

The CRPF used the ruins of the historic Palladium Theatre in the centre of Srinagar as their camp at Lal Chowk. Terrorists set fire to the cinema hall. Another attempt to restore cinema halls was attempted two years ago during the BJP-PDP rule. However, Hurriyat leader Sayyed Ali Shah Geelani and other Islamists in the valley were opposed to any attempt to reopen cinemas.

 

The Jammu and Kashmir government released its first film policy in August 2021, months after the Jammu and Kashmir Film Development Council (JKFDC) was established to encourage filmmakers. The key objectives of the policy are to reopen closed cinema halls and set up multiplexes in the Valley.

 

While today the LG opened smaller multipurpose theatres in Pulwama and Shopian, multiplexes are also being opened in Kashmir. As reported earlier, a three-screen INOX with a total capacity of 520 seats will be opened in Srinagar next week. The setting up of a multiplex in Kashmir, which has seen terrorism for a long time from the other side of the border, comes three years after the abrogation of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir.