Plaza to replace Rawalpindi’s historic cinema

Sources say at least 21 cinemas have shuttered their doors so far in the garrison city

RAWALPINDI:

In the past, movie lovers would stand in long queues to get tickets, but today, the cinema-going culture has completely died. The demolition of the historic Capital Cinema building on Sadar Bank Road that began on Wednesday marks a poignant symbol of decline.

According to the sources, a plaza will be built at the Capital Cinema building. The decline of cinemas in Rawalpindi has reached a concerning level as almost 21 cinemas have been shut down while plazas have been erected at eight cinemas, further highlighting the shift away from traditional entertainment venues.

Formerly iconic venues such as Sangeet, Golistan, Naz Cinema, Nadir Cinema, Novelty Cinema, Rex Cinema, and Galaxy Cinema have all met a similar fate, with commercial structures now occupying their spaces. Others like PAF Cinema, Shabistan Cinema, Odean Cinema Plaza, Roz Cinema, and Khursheed Cinema have also been demolished or closed. Currently, only a few cinemas are operational in Rawalpindi.

Earlier, tickets were sold in the black market as people were very interested in watching Pakistani movies. If missed the very first screening, people would wait for weeks to watch the movie. Vendors used to set up stalls at the cinemas, selling snacks and beverages.

At present, the situation is different. Cinemas established in Jinnah Park and a well-known private housing society called CinePex regularly show Indian or English movies. However, the tickets are so expensive and unaffordable for the citizens.

Aurangzeb Khan, who worked as a manager at Odeon and other cinemas, said that the demise of cinemas is mainly due to the low-quality Pakistani movies. Many famous film actors and actresses in the past including Sultan Rahi, Mustafa Qureshi, Waheed Murad, Nadeem, Ghulam Mohiuddin, Anjuman, Asia, Mumtaz, Reema, Meera, Shaan, Muammar Rana, Shafqat Cheema, Afzal, Lala Sudheer and other famous artists’ performances encouraged people to watch Pakistani movies.

Khan added that when a Pakistani film was about to release or was a hit, the cast of the movie would reach cinemas to promote the film. Cinemas used to be a major source of entertainment as well as employment in those days but now not only the bad standard of Pakistani movies but also the digital world has ruined the cinema culture.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 23^rd, 2024.