Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, Sept 19: The long wait is finally over as the grand and exquisitely designed Multiplex cinema which has come up in Shivpora area of Srinagar is set to be inaugurated by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha tomorrow with the first show to begin with the screening of the movie ‘Lal Singh Chaddha’.
During the day, the laborers and other workers were seen giving finishing touches to the newly placed setup, setting it right, and placing everything in a perfect place ahead of the much-awaited inauguration which was major attraction during the day.
With a seating capacity of 520, the multiplex cinema has three auditoriums, a lobby area along with other spaces set up to provide a source of entertainment to the people, especially the youth.
The multiplex has been established by the Dhar family that once ran the famous Broadway cinema way back in the 90s which was later shut down after violence broke out.
Noted businessman Vijay Dhar, who owns the multiplex said that the wait is over and the cinema is set to provide the people of Kashmir with a different experience when it comes to entertainment.
“Youth of Kashmir had no means of entertainment and with the start of the cinema, they are going to have a different experience,” he said.
He informed that the multiplex will be thrown open to the public tomorrow with a special screening of Aamir Khan’s ‘Lal Singh Chaddha’.
“Regular shows will start from September 30 with the screening of Vikram Vedha, starring Hrithik Roshan and Saif Ali Khan,” he said.
The people here are also excited to see the multiplex starting its operations finally and said that watching a movie in a multiplex has got a different feeling and experience attached to it.
As the ruins of old cinema halls take the people back to the memory lanes of the early 90s, the start of the new multiplex after more than 3 decades will hold its importance and is potent for drawing the attention of the youth towards it.
LG Manoj Sinha has already inaugurated 2 multipurpose cinema halls under Mission Youth in Shopian and Pulwama on Sunday, where he said that more such cinema halls are set to come up in all the districts of J&K.
About the specification, the multiplex has been designed by INOX and has got the advanced Dolby sound systems installed, apart from food courts and other means of entertainment kept available for people.
Pertinent to mention here, Kashmir had nearly a dozen cinema halls functioning till the late 1980s, however, the same were later closed after the threats of the militant outfits to the owners.
Also, several attempts have been already made by authorities way back in the late 1990s to reopen the cinema halls, but the same could not materialize and they continued to remain shut.
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