Kashmir Is Ready To Have Its First Multiplex And It's All Geared Up For Coldest Weather Conditions

As Kashmir is all set to welcome its first multiplex cinema after three decades in September in Srinagar city. But wait, winters is coming.

The winters in the valley are harsh with the temperature going down up to minus 10 degree Celsius and Srinagar witnessing a heavy snowfall. But this would not deter the confidence of the cinema owners to not screen the films in cold weather conditions.

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¡°The multiplex cinema will be functional in winters too. We have set up central heating system and cooling arrangements too in the hall,¡± said Vijay Dhar, the owner of the cinema hall.

In 1990s, when cinemas were functional in Kashmir, there used to be no heating arrangement system in the hall. People would close the door till movie ends and it would warm the hall automatically.

INOX designed cinema

The Srinagar¡¯s Dhar family and INOX, one of the major film distributors and theatre chains, worked together to create the multiplex.

The multiplex has three movie theatres with a combined seating capacity of at least 520 people and each being lashed with the latest sound systems and comfortable seating facilities.

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¡°We are all set to inaugurate the two halls in September and one will be opened later,¡± Dhar told Indiatimes without revealing the exact dates.

When asked about the aim of starting this multiplex, Dhar said that youth in Kashmir too want entertainment.

¡°Why would our youth go to Delhi or Mumbai to watch a Bollywood in cinema. Why can¡¯t we have our own halls. They have been watching the films on TV or mobile phones,¡± Dhar said.

The mode of buying the ticket will be both online and offline. Three different movies will be screened at a time in the halls.

Promoting Kashmiri culture too

Dhar said that the design of the multiplex will have a tinge of Kashmiri culture in the form of a paper-mache and khatamband ceiling.

He said that the local cuisine will also be promoted through food courts.

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¡°We are slightly modifying the design element and incorporating a Kashmiri touch along with cutting-edge infrastructure. In order to increase the popularity of our local cuisine, we also hope to support and encourage local food entrepreneurs,¡± he said.

He said that the multiplex will also generate the employment opportunities for the local youth.

A good move

Mushtaaque Ali Ahmad Khan, a theatre artist and festival director called the ¡®multiplex in Kashmir¡¯ a need of the hour.

Kashmir World Film Festival

¡°During my four editions of the film festival in Srinagar, we screened more than 150 films. But that¡¯s not enough, I believe that multiplex is important for Kashmir especially for the youth,¡± said Khan who holds a film festival bi-annually in Srinagar called Kashmir World Film Festival (KWFF).

¡°I congratulate the owners for taking this initiative and I hope that government will extend its support to open more multiplexes in the valley,¡± he said.

Security could be a challenge

Tahir Najar, a Kashmiri theatre artist told Indiatimes that security issue could be challenge.

¡°Once this multiplex is opened to movie goers, I think security arrangements need to be checked well or beefed up near the cinema hall so as to ensure the safety of everyone visiting there,¡± he said.

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When asked Dhar about security concerns ahead of opening of his cinema hall, he said, ¡°When you do the things from the heart, you don¡¯t think too much then.¡±

However, Srinagar Police chief Rakesh Balwal said that all the security arrangements will be taken care of.

Cinema back after three decades

The cinema hall is being set up in the valley after a gap of 32-years. The theatres had shut in 1990s due to the rise in militancy.

There were a total of 15 functional cinema halls in the valley in the 1980¡¯s, of which nine were in Srinagar. The most famous cinemas were Broadway Cinema, Regal Cinema, Neelam Cinema, and Palladium Cinema in Srinagar.

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Now, most of the theatres have turned into camps for security forces, while others have been turned into hotels, shopping complexes and even a hospital.

The former J&K chief minister Farooq Abdullah government in 1999 tried to reopen cinema halls when the Regal, Neelam and Broadway were allowed to start filming movies. But there was a militant attack during the first show in the Regal cinema, killing one person and injuring 12 others.

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