Alfalah to reopen as a cinema... soon

Theatre operations to continue.

LAHORE: The city may have another cinema by the mid of January, 2012, Raheel Shah, the theatre manager of the Alfalah cinema/theatre since it was leased in September, said.

The cinema at Alfalah on The Mall, which was closed down some seven years ago and replaced by a theatre, is expected to resume operations.

However, a City District Government of Lahore (CDGL) official said that the cinema management has yet to obtain a no objection certificate (NOC).

Tariq Zaman, the district officer (public facilities), said that the Alfalah theatre management had filed an application seeking permission to operate a cinema at the theatre site.

The management, he added, had already started renovating the hall.

He said the city government had issued a notice to the new management last week as a warning for illegally screening movies. “The management has the permission to run theatre shows only,” he said.

Zaman added that a cinema needs NOCs from several departments, including traffic police and civil defence. He said that the building, involved, is also examined by engineers who issue a stability certificate. According to Zaman, the certification process usually takes two to four weeks.

“Till such time that the requirements have been met, cinema operation at Alfalah will be considered illegal”, he added.

Shah said that the new management had acquired the licence for both cinema and theatre.

“We applied for the cinema as well as the theatre when we leased Alfalah”, Shah told The Express Tribune. He denied receiving any notice from the CDGL regarding cinema operations.

“If a cinema is converted into a theatre, the site does not lose the licence for a cinema,” he argued.

Shah said the parking in the vicinity of the building was ‘enough’ to cater to cinema ‘goers’ needs. “It accommodates as many as 250 cars,” he said.

Officially, the cinema last screened Javed Sheikh’s Yeh Dil Aap Ka Hua in 2003, before it was converted to a theatre. In September 2011, the building was leased to AA Media International, which has now decided to resume cinema operations.

Shah said that the new management aims to ‘bring quality cinematic experience back to Alfalah.’

He said Alfalah cinema, dating back to the 1960s, had been one of the best in the country. He said the hall could accommodate more than 500 people. However, after the renovation plans, which includes ‘larger and more comfortable’ seats, it will seat up to 450 people, he said.

Shah said that new projectors and stereo systems have been installed. He said the screen will be removable. This will allow the stage to be continued to be used for theatrical performances, he explained.

Currently, theatre shows start after 11 pm. Once the cinema is operational, two cinema shows would be held daily from 3 to 6 pm and 6 to 9 pm, followed by theatre shows.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 24^th, 2011.