Amid preparations for the much-awaited launch of multiplexes in Srinagar in October, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Sunday tweeted pictures of the inauguration of cinema halls in Pulwama and Shopian, calling it a “historic” day.
Photos released by his office showed the lieutenant governor attending the screening of Bollywood film “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag”. “Historic day for J&K UT! Inauguration of multipurpose cinema halls in Pulwama and Shopian. Offering facilities ranging from film screening to infotainment and youth training,” Manoj Sinha tweeted.
Although the theatres were meant to serve a different purpose, apart from screening films, the development was part of the Jammu & Kashmir Film Development Council’s (JKFDC) efforts to promote the Union Territory as a destination for filmmaking and production of films and shows. In Kashmir, cinema halls were closed in the early 1990s due to the spread of militancy. About a dozen stand-alone cinema halls operated in the valley until the late 1980s, but their owners faced threats.
Over the years, attempts have been made to reopen some cinemas. However, a grenade attack on the Regal Cinema in the heart of Lal Chowk was reported in Srinagar in September 1999. Other cinemas that were opened and then closed include Neelam and Broadway.
The government on Sunday said it has inaugurated cinema halls for various purposes such as dissemination of information or skill enhancement.
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