After cinemas, stage plays face uncertain future

Theatre performers, organisers want greater security, resources to keep art alive

RAWALPINDI: Once, cinemas used to dominate the night life in Rawalpindi. While they gave way to theatre, stage dramas too are struggling to keep their curtains up.

The garrison city once hosted as many as 23 cinema houses where every Friday new Urdu, Punjabi and Pashto movies used to be screened. People young and old, men and women, used to throng these theatres.

But, over the passage of time and with the drop in quality of movies, particularly locally produced ones, degeneration due to unavailability of modern equipment, heavy entertainment tax and the mushrooming of private and cable operated television channels, the cinema halls in Rawalpindi, as in much of the country, fell by the wayside.



Some were torn down to make way for multi-storied plazas, others were converted into marriage halls. Others still were tuned into stages for local theatre.

So much so, that only three cinemas have survived from the Pakistan film industry’s golden years in the city including Shabistan, Savours, Khursheed cinema. Sometimes, Rose cinema too opens for special screenings.

With the movie era over in the mid 90’s and early 2000’s, the city’s residents turned to watching stage dramas at theatres such as Rialto Theater, Liaquat Bagh Hall and Shabistan Moti Mahal. These dramas used to draw large crowds.

But due to the influence of political parties, negligence in security and meagre remuneration for stage artistes led to a decline of stage dramas.

The Liaquat Bagh Hall administration initiated the decline of stage dramas by imposing a ban on them. The ban came at a time when theatre and movie actors from as far as Lahore used to visit the city to perform.

However, a few unpleasant incidents with these actresses accelerated the decline of stage dramas in the city.

With limited resources, the Rawalpindi Arts Council tried to revive the culture of stage dramas, albeit, unsuccessfully. The Arts Council, though, keeps organising stage dramas once in a while.

At the moment, the Shabistan Cinema, once glittering with silver screen stars projected on to its giant screen, it has now become the last bastion for stage dramas in the city. While it may not offer the star attractions it once did, it still manages to attract a few some influential names from time to time.



Munawar Khan Afridi and Yar Muhammad, directors of stage dramas at Shabistan, said that “if the authorities provide us with security and adequate resources, we can provide fair entertainment to the public.”

They added that both, men and women actors had “oceans of talent”, and were waiting for opportunities to perform.

“The revival of stage dramas can save the youth from drug addiction and the Kalashnikov culture,” they claimed.

Meanwhile, the administrator of Shabistan Cinema said that these were critical times for stage dramas and all those involved in this industry. Despite the dire times, he said that they were putting in their best efforts to keep traditions of stage drama alive and will continue to work for the revival of theatre in Rawalpindi.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 22^nd, 2017.