Kashmir's first multiplex set to open in September

Finally movie lovers in Kashmir will be able to see the latest Bollywood and Hollywood movies on the big screen as the first multiplex in Srinagar is set to open next month.

The 520-seat INOX-designed multiplex will be the first multiplex in Kashmir. When militancy erupted in the valley in the late 1980s, all the cinema halls in the major towns were shut following threats to the owners by militant organisations.

Vijay Dhar, a prominent Kashmiri businessman, and INOX, one of the major film distributors and theatre chains, worked together to open the first multiplex in the Valley.

The multiplex has three movie theatres with a combined seating capacity of at least 520 people. The most recent sound systems are installed, and it is exquisitely crafted.

“The goal of restoring cinema in Kashmir is to provide younger generations with the same amusement available throughout the country,” said the owner of INOX multiplex in Srinagar, Vijay Dhar, who owned the historic Broadway theatre in Srinagar, which burned down in the mid-1990s.

He said the multiplex is for everyone so that they can all have entertainment. “Our children should be content. They must shout and scream as well. There is nowhere one can receive a dose of amusement, apart from sports and food,” remarked Dhar, who also runs a prominent school in the city.

The multiplex has many food courts and other entertaining facilities which will attract children as well.

After the closure of movie theatres in 1989, the first attempt to open cinema halls was made in 1998, when three theatres -- Neelam, Regal and Broadway -- opened in Srinagar. However, after militants lobbed a grenade on Regal, which also led to the death of one person, it closed down.