Peshawar is fast losing its cinema culture. There was a time when the city had 15 cinemas where film lovers could watch Pashto, Urdu and English films. However, most of those have shut down.
A decline in the business is driving cinema owners to convert the exhibition halls into shopping complexes and commercial plazas. The most recent addition in the list of cinema halls that have shut down is Naz Cinema. A commercial plaza will take its place.
Despite upgrades in 2020 and conversion to a 3-D Cineplex, Naz Cinema was unable to draw business. Last week, dismantling began and Naz become the 10th cinema in Peshawar to be demolished in recent years.
Over time, several cinemas such as Firdous (Shabistan), FalakSair, Palwasha, Novelty, Metro, Ishrat, Sabrina, PAF and Capital have shut down.
Haji Abid, a resident of the Walled City, fondly recalls his childhood memories associated with NazCinema, where the blockbuster Pashto film Orbal was screened for three years at a stretch. “Our elders took us to the hall where we watched the films,” he says.
“I feel like the city is losing the charm it once had,” says Abid. “It is unfortunate that, over the past decade, so many cinema halls have shut down. No one can deny the importance of film. It is considered one of the most effective and powerful mediums. It can change minds.”
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa once had a vibrant movie going culture.Many Pashto films were screened in cinemas across Peshawar.
“I feel like the city is losing the charm it once had,” says Abid. “It is unfortunate that, over the past decade, so many cinema halls have shut down.”
In 1969, the shooting of Yousuf Khan SherBanobegan. It was the first-ever Pashto film produced in Pakistan.It was released in theatres on December 1, 1970.The Pashto film industry had its peak from 1970 to 1990. The movies produced in those years highlighted Pakhtun society's folklore, traditions and customs. Hospitality and nang(honour) were among the popular themes explored in these films.
It was a time when cinema lovers were fond of regional art and aware of its contribution to the society. Cinemas were public spaces.Women were not barred from those.
Farooq Firaq, a veteran journalist who has been covering Pashto literature and arts for several years, says that there was a time when families used to head to cinemas to watch Pashto films.
“Most cinemas reserved a day of the week; I think it was Wednesday, for women. On regular days as well there were students queuing up to enjoy movies. It was a common sight to have girls come in and enjoy movies with their fathers,” he says. “Cinema was the primary source of entertainment in the city.It was widely appreciated.”
“But now things are different,” says Firaq, “early Pashto films were truly representative of the demographic they were made for. Over time, Pakhtun investors pulled out and we got to a point where Pashto films were funded by businessmen from Lahore and Karachi who had little interest in promoting regional culture.”
“The commercialisation wasn’t good for Pashtun filmmakers. Quality of movies declined. The content became less family friendly,” he says. “That’s the story of how greed destroyed regional cinema,” adds Firaq.
“Vulgarity and cultural pollution have caused most families to stopfrequenting the cinemas,” says the journalist. “Only four cinemas remain in the city. These are Picture House, TasveerMahal, Aina and Shama Cinemas. These too are struggling to stay in business.”
Naz became the 10th cinema in Peshawar to be demolished in recent years.
“The state should support films and cinemas. Businessmen from KP should come forward to produce impactful films. They should produce films on history, education, science and technology. Our neighbours Iran and India are producing films on these subjects,” he says. “We can also promote peace through film.”
Over the last decade, a wave of terrorist violence affected cinema culture in the city. Several people were killed during an attack on a cinema.
“I would pin decline of the cinema on terrorist attacks and the Covid-19 lockdowns,” says Muhammad Naeem, the last manager of Naz Cinema.
- The writer is a multimedia producer. He tweets daudpasaney