A first in 3 decades: J&K LG Manoj Sinha inaugurates Srinagar multiplex
The multiplex has been inaugurated in Srinagar. This is Kashmir's first in three decades.
In a first in three decades, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Tuesday inaugurated a multiplex in Srinagar. Cinemas would open in every district, Sinha said during the highly anticipated inauguration.
The Inox multiplex - which took five years for completion - has a total seating capacity of 520, and it is owned by a Kashmiri Pandit business family from Srinagar. Aamir Khan starrer Lal Singh Chadda is the first Bollywood movie to be screened during the inaugural show. The inauguration marks a new beginning in the history of cinema in the Valley.
Last week, Sinha had inaugurated "multipurpose" cinema halls in Pulwama and Shopian, calling it a "historic day". "Yesterday inaugurated Multipurpose Cinema Halls at Pulwama and Shopian. It offers facilities ranging from movie screening, infotainment and skilling of youth," the LG had tweeted on Sunday.
Cinema halls had closed down in the Valley in the 1990s with the onset of militancy. In 1999, efforts were made for a revival
as movie theatres – Neelam, Regal and Broadway – opened in Srinagar. But the attack on Regal Cinema, which led to the death of one person, in 1998 by the militants again led to the closure.
“For us, this is a big dream which has come true. Tomorrow, J&K’s Lt Governor, Manoj Sinha will inaugurate the multiplex and regular shows will start from September 30,” Vikas Dhar, owner of the multiplex, had told HT ahead of the inauguration.
“Sitting in the cinema will be a new experience for movie buffs. We have installed state-of-the-art equipment. And it will all be a different experience from what it used to be 30 years ago in cinema halls in Kashmir,” he added.
