INOX becomes Kashmir’s first 520-seater multiplex cinema hall to screen movies in October 2022. File image. | Photo credit: Nisar Ahmad
bollywood movie Laila MajnuA tragic romance depicting Kashmiri characters against the backdrop of the peaceful valley in 2018, the film was housefull on the first day of its re-release at the Inox theatre in Srinagar on Friday.
“All the tickets for our first show were sold out. It was housefull,” said Vikas Dhar, managing director of Taksal Hospitality Pvt Ltd, which owns the multiplex. Hindu,
The tragic love story with all the trappings of the local culture and family milieu failed to make a mark at the box office in 2018. The film deliberately kept a distance from showing any aspect of the conflict, be it masked terrorists or gun-toting security personnel, and managed to win hearts locally for bringing the real cultural and emotional aspects of Kashmir to the silver screen.
Majid Altaf, an engineering student, said, “This film has always shown Kashmir the way it was when I was studying in Bangalore. I was waiting for its re-release in Srinagar. Watching the film in Srinagar today is like a dream come true.”
The film starred actors Avinash Tiwari and Tripti Dimri. Directed by director Sajid Ali, who is the brother of filmmaker Imtiaz Ali, the film was conceived and began shooting in the year when Kashmir erupted in street violence after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen ‘commander’ Burhan Wani. It released in 2018 and flopped at the box office. It was never released in Kashmir as there were no cinema halls then.
“When I went to a cinema hall after the film’s release outside Jammu and Kashmir, there were only 25 people in it, including my family. There was just one poster promoting it. In 2024, it is housefull in Srinagar and there are huge posters outside. The re-release has become a reality because of the love shown by Kashmiris. When the film was made, there were no cinema halls in Kashmir. Today, I sat with the audience to watch it,” actor Tiwari said.
Director Ali said the film means a lot to the local people “because they see their characters come alive and relevant on the big screen.”
“I will always be indebted to people for their faith in the film,” Mr Ali said.
Mr. Ali credited his brother Imtiaz Ali for inspiring him to make an “authentic film about the people and the place.” “This film is about the people of Kashmir, who live in a normal society. They get married, divorced and also die normal deaths. It is a classical story with modern characters chosen from Kashmir,” Mr. Ali said.
Preeti Ali, Producer of the film Laila MajnuShe said she also plans to re-release it in other major cities across the country. “It has become a cult film in the romance genre, which is more profitable than its business. The music was also a hit. People in Kashmir remember the songs even after six years. It created a magic, which was widely appreciated,” Ms. Ali said.
Excited and excited young girls and boys were waiting Laila Majnu After the first show ended on Friday, the team, especially actor Avinash, rushed in for a photo session. It was a rare sight for a place that had no cinema hall for over 30 years. Inox became Kashmir’s first 520-seater multiplex cinema hall to show films in October 2022. Subsequently, the government inaugurated several cinema halls in other parts of Kashmir in an attempt to reach out to the cinema lovers of the valley.
The Kashmir Valley had 11 cinema halls till 1990, when terrorism erupted and the cinema halls were shut down. Former chief minister Dr Farooq Abdullah made efforts to reopen the cinema halls in 1996, but they failed to attract audiences and even these cinema halls were attacked by terrorists. In 1999, the Regal Cinema in Lal Chowk was shut down after terrorists hurled a grenade outside.
