Joy among youth

22/09/2022

Kashmir and Bollywood have a historic bond which is as old as Bollywood. Life was enhanced by the picturesque beauty of the valley which filmmakers found a perfect shot for filmmaking. A multiplex cinema was thrown open to the public in Srinagar on Tuesday which was historic as halls were shut down due to violence for three decades. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha inaugurated this cinema hall with all modern facilities. Built by INOX and owned by Vijay Dhar, the multiplex at Shivpora in Srinagar had a seating capacity of 520 persons in its three big auditoriums. The multiplex will have a restaurant and gaming zone for kids in the coming months as these two facilities are being built. Srinagar city had 12 famous cinemas but they were shut down in the 90s when militancy broke out in the Valley which tore its social and peaceful atmosphere. The cinemas were banned by a militant group called 'Allah Tigers' and since then it was curtains down in these cinemas which today are deserted like ghost houses.
Event is historic for youth who have seen turmoil and violence in the last three decades. Sinha during the inauguration speech said remanded people of this old bond. He said that late Bollywood actor Shammi Kapoor loved to call himself "Kashmir Ka Kaddoo" and for his love for Kashmir his ashes were immersed in the famous Dal Lake. Before the 90s many famous Bollywood hits like Kashmir ki Kali, and Bobby was shot in Kashmir which put the audience in awe. Bollywood and cinema became a medium to promote Kashmir's tourism to the outside world. Kashmir's youth was deprived of this major entertainment due to militancy and today's event seems to have brought curtains down to the dark memories of radical groups. Renowned journalist and host of famous TV news show "Aap ki Adalat" Rajat Sharma who was in Srinagar on a historic day, said that Bollywood actor Salman Khan shared with him in the past that it was his dream to have a cinema in Kashmir. "I am going to tell my friend Salman Khan that his dream of seeing a cinema in Kashmir that he had shared with me during the shooting of Bhajrangi Bhaijan has come true," Sharma said.
Youth of Kashmir had no means of entertainment in cinemas. The INOX cinema will screen movies for Kashmiris from October 1 and tickets will be available from September 26. LG Manoj Sinha said that such changes have become possible in Kashmir due to the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who took a historic step on August 5, 2019, to reshape Jammu and Kashmir and end its gloomy past. Sinha said that all districts of Jammu and Kashmir will have 100-seater Cinema halls where youth can entertain themselves. Sinha last week inaugurated two cinema halls in once militancy-hotspots of Shopian and Pulwama in south Kashmir. The cinema will provide youth with the experience which they missed during the last 30 years.

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