Daily Times

As many as 20 popular cinema halls have been demolished in various parts of Hyderabad during the last few years. According to a report of Pakistan Bureau of statistics (PBS), the number of cinema halls in Sindh including Karachi reached to 12 in year 2018-19 which was 54 in year 2008-09.

The cinemas in Hyderabad City whose buildings demolished included Rahat, Nishat, Shalimar, Odeon, Qaiser, Shams, Hill top, Firdous, Elite, Capri, Bombino, Venus, Koh-e-Noor,Chandni, New Majestic, Noor Mahal, Chiragh Mahal, Shaheen and Sangeet, Pakistan and Marvi, however only two cinemas Bombino and Shahab are in running condition but closed due to COVID restrictions.

In Karachi division, there were almost 120 cinemas, out of which at least 100 cinema halls were demolished including Biggest cinemas like Star, Bombino, Lyric, Nishat, Prince, Rivoli, Godeon, Eroze, Plaza, Light House, Taj Mahal, Anjuman, Mehfil and others.

After the establishment of cinema in 1947, country witnessed a time when Pakistan produced an average of 80-100 movies annually, which witnessed a declining trend during the decade of 1980s. A major dearth of the cinema industry during the 1980s was the continuity in portraying folk regional cultures particularly Punjabi and pashtoon folk based on poor scripts, dramatic acting and use of inferior technology in production.

Such declining trend in the production as well as viewership of Pakistani cinema during the 80’s compelled many cinema owners to demolish their cinemas and replace them with alternative business entities like commercial plaza, petrol pumps, car showrooms and residential apartments.

The cinemas in Hyderabad City whose buildings demolished included Rahat, Nishat, Shalimar, Odeon, Qaiser, Shams, Hill Top, Firdous, Elite, Capri, Bombino, Venus, Koh-e-Noor, Chandni, New Majestic, Noor Mahal, Chiragh Mahal, Shaheen and Sangeet, Pakistan and Marvi, however only two cinemas Bombino and Shahab are in running condition but closed due to COVID restrictions

As per district wise report at present, no cinema hall exists in Sukkur, Khairpur, Nawabshah, Naushehroferoze, Mirpurkhas, Tharparkar and Sanghar districts, however, only 12 cinemas are existing in the province including nine in Karachi, two in Hyderabad and one in Larkana.

The cinemas in Sukkur demolished by their owners includes Regent, Nishat, Shalimar, Paradise, Hafeez, Rushna and Imperial. Similarly, Shikarpur lost 3 popular cinemas including Naz, Plaza and Afshan.

Mirpurkhas had 4 cinema halls including Firdaus, Qaaim, Palace, Tasveer Mahal which were demolished by their owners.

City of lights Karachi had almost 120 cinemas which were reduced to nine only while Hyderabad had 22 cinema halls and Nawabshah, Sukkur and Larkana had more than 5 cinema halls which were demolished with the passage of time.

The cinema which has a positive impact on society which helps in connecting to people of other cultures. It reflects the issues of society and makes us familiar with them. Whereas it also makes us more aware and helps to improvise in emergency situations.