Ashfaq Wani
The world around us is full of art & glamour and cinema is the most powerful out of all kinds of arts.In addition to looking at the current trends of our society and culture, cinema takes us to a better position to understand our lives and the people around us.
Cinema by definition is an audio-visual art of telling a story with a quality input of screenplays, music, scripts, and casts, reflecting a developing and functioning society.
Besides being a powerful source of entertainment and addressing political issues, the cinema also prepares one with building a perspective and opening one’s eyes to new ways of thinking, feeling, and moving on with life.
It is a known fact all over the world that cinema in India has a tradition of great art that shapes people’s lives, emotions, and feelings through a variety of frames and storylines.
In the current scenario where the world is becoming a global village, cultural exchange is happening at the speed of light. From basic lifestyle, moral values to technology – everything is taking a pace to evolve in the novel ways of life.
The Cinema develops an immaculate blend of technology, entertainment, and art that proves to be a great mood lifter amid chaos, confusion, and depression.
Nostalgia
Almost three decades from now, cinemas in Kashmir were the epitome of entertainment, leisure time, and fun. Anyone who grew up in Kashmir before the 1989 era would jump to excitement while narrating his share of experience with watching films in theaters, standing in long queues for availing tickets and waiting for Fridays to watch the first show.
“Betaab movie was to be released and I was waiting at a ticket counter, immediately a man out of nowhere jumped over me to avail the ticket. Ah! Life was mesmerizing those days. People after watching movies would utter the dialogues in sleep, such was the craze of cinema” says an artist, Pamposh Wani.
It has been more than 30 years when the cinema halls in Kashmir were closed, but only death can wipe away the vibrant, lively and powerful memories of the time spent in those theaters.
In the 1980s, there were 15 cinema halls in the valley, nine of which operated in Srinagar like Neelam, Regal, Broadway, Sheraz, Firdous, Naaz, Palladium, Khayam and Shah Cinema.
There was an abrupt closure of these cinema halls – in the summer of 1989, after the militant organization ‘Allah Tiger’, led by Noor Khan, announced a ban on theaters and bars.
Apart from other cinema theatres in Srinagar, Palladium was famous for displaying Hollywood movies. However, the cinema was burned down and was destroyed. Some of the cinema halls have become today’s hospitals or shopping malls, while few others have been occupied by the security forces and few have been played havoc with and turned into ghost houses.
“It was so beautiful back then, cinemas used to be crowded. I remember film advertisements were done on horse carts. The man on the cart would shout like – ‘Aaj regal main film hai, Aaj Palladium main film hai’. That era is gone now. Today’s generation has no clue about how it felt back in those golden days”, Said Wani.
Revival Failed
After the closure of cinema theaters in Kashmir, various attempts were carried out to revive the cinema culture in Kashmir but it terribly failed.
In 1999, out of nine cinema halls in Kashmir three theaters were set to open to the public that included Neelam, Broadway, and Regal.
However, Regal was attacked by militants when Sunny Deol and Mahima Chaudhary’s film Pyar Koi Khel Nai was screened. The grenade attack resulted in the killing of one moviegoer and 12 others were severely injured.
In September 2005, Neelam, the then only operational cinema hall in Srinagar, was attacked in a face-to-face battle between security forces and militants, in which one militant was killed. During the combat, 70 people were inside the theater watching Amir Khan’s Mangal Panday.
Although the various previous JK governments were in favor of reopening the theaters in Kashmir, however, the separatist party Hurriyat and militant organizations always opposed the move, arguing that the cinema leads to immoral acts and being un Islamic.
Bollywood’s Relationship with Kashmir
Bollywood has always been enthralling with the serene beauty of the Kashmir. Every inch of the valley is a perfect frame for shooting films. Since 1960, Kashmir has always been a set for most of the hits of Bollywood.
“We grew up watching Bollywood posters hanging in every nook and corner of Kashmir. Valley was the main centre of focus when it came to shooting films. The beauty of Kashmir was presented to the world via Bollywood. Kashmir Ki Kali was one of the movies shot during my childhood. I wonder how Kashmir got engulfed with the evil eyes?” says, a resident, Rajinder Singh.
The scenario changed because of the conflict prevailing in the valley. That led Bollywood to shift and choose new frames that were a replica of Kashmir’s serene beauty especially European’s Switzerland.
However, with a little get back in normalcy, Bollywood again turned its gaze towards Kashmir.
After 2010, films like Jab Tak Hai Jaan, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Rockstar & Haider were put to frames in various locations of the Kashmir Valley. Salman Khan’s Eid offering in 2015, Bajrangi Bhaijan, was also extensively filmed in scenic locations in the Kashmir Valley.
In recent years various other Bollywood movies were shot in Kashmir especially Kalank, Notebook, Raazi, and Romeo Akbar Walter. Apart from Bollywood movies, various Indian web TV series were also shot in JK like The Family Man, Bard Of Blood, Haq Se, etc.
Revival Again?
The cinema is yet again waiting for a revival in Kashmir as it terribly failed before and still after the previous govt. nods for building a multiplex, the cinema hall that was supposed to come up in the Srinagar Cantonment area has again failed to take shape.
Satyapal Malik, the last governor of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, said in June 2019 that the efforts were being made to open a multiplex in the valley to provide entertainment facility to the residents. However, no concrete step has being taken so far.
“We want multiplex cinemas to be started in Kashmir. Besides being a medium of entertainment it will also boost our economy and tourism sector” Says Rajinder Singh, A local resident.
