Now with the 2011 ICC World Cup happening and Pakistan having entered the scene with its first match of the season against Kenya, the fever, no doubt, strikes the rich and the poor, the old and young alike in the country.
So strong are the undercurrents that people, who otherwise yearn for entertainment and regularly visit cinemas and theatres, let go of all other recreational activities to sit back at home and watch cricket matches, hoping the national team will not let them down again.
Speaking to The Express Tribune about the much-hyped cricket scene in the country, Nadeem Mandviwala of Mandviwala Entertainment, who has a business of cinema houses and brings various foreign productions to Pakistan, says, “The cinema always suffers when the world cup is happening in the country, more so for cricket but, yes, even when it comes to football.”
Mandviwala, clearly states, “Most of the films are not released during this time — small releases are enough for the month in particular.”
So has the recent match of Pakistan affected the cinemas’ overall ticket sales? Mandviwala shared his expectations right before the start of yesterday’s match. “No particular gain is expected, we are already in a loss but, yes, there is a fall in the attendance,” he said.
World Cup is the time, during which Mandviwala says, “No big film gets released and no big name sells.”
Giving a big-picture view of the phenomenon, Mandviwala said that the Indian craze for cricket also becomes a major reason for many Bollywood filmmakers to delay the release of their films during the world cup. “It (cricket craze) is more in India. India does not release any big movie during IPL (Indian Premier League) and World Cup season, for their market base is very large,”added Mandviwala. Undoubtedly, the loss is equally great.
So what happens here in Pakistan when cricket fans spend hours watching the sport on their television screens? Mandviwala says, “It’s a dim picture day. But one must not forget that it is a single-day hype. Cinemas face lower attendance only when it’s Pakistan’s match, particularly if it’s against India. Other days, it’s relatively better. But if there are chances of Pakistan entering the quarter finals or semi-finals, the stakes of visiting cinemas grow lesser by the day. But it all wears out if Pakistan loses the game in the beginning, hence the effect does not last the entire month.”
Not giving out the estimates of losses on ticket sales, which were earlier quoted in the press to be Rs250 million, Mandviwala said, “It is more talked about than the realistic picture.”
Ahmad Shah, president of the Arts Council of Pakistan, says, “Cricket is euphoria for the general public. Every Pakistani gets involved in it, but theatre and stage productions only suffer when there are major matches in which Pakistan is playing against another country.”
Shah asserts, “As it is, there are less theatre productions in the country so the serious theatre-going person will still visit theatres and let go of the match. Arts Council Auditorium has a capacity of having up to 400 people within its premises, so, yes, cricket is a crowd-puller but theatre visitors do not abandon good theatre productions because of cricket.”
Considering the obsession of Pakistanis with the sport, the arts council will show the Pakistan-Sri Lanka match scheduled to take place on February 26, 2011, adds Shah.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 24th, 2011.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ