No, Cinema Halls Were Operational In Kashmir Before And After 1947; Viral Claim Is False!

Image Credit: Pixabay, Facebook

No, Cinema Halls Were Operational In Kashmir Before And After 1947; Viral Claim Is False!

We found that Kashmir had several working cinemas since 1932 but was closed down in several instances due to the turbulent militancy history in the Valley. In the 1990s, several cinema halls were shut down due to targeted attacks on the establishments.

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An image is going viral across social media claiming that RRR is the first film that will be played in Kashmir cinema theatres after 1947. The claim is going viral in the context of the lieutenant governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha, who inaugurated Kashmir's first multiplex in Srinagar on September 20, 2022.

Claim:

The viral image carries the text, 'A historical moment for Kashmir' and 'RRR Is The First Film To Be Played In Cinema Theatres In Kashmir After 1947! Incredible Kashmir, Incredible India'. Mirchi Plus published a report titled, 'RRR' becomes the first film to be played in Kashmir cinemas after 1947.

Image Credit: Mirchi Plus

The report quotes Rahul Nehra, the founding managing director of Jadooz, who said that RRR was the first film to be screened at a cinema hall in Kashmir after the year 1947.

Social media page, Lip Times, shared the image with the caption, "RRR Is The First Movie To Play In Kashmir."

The image is viral on Facebook, similar posts can be seen here, here and here.

Fact Check:

The Logical Indian fact-check team verified the viral claim and found it to be false. We found that Kashmir had several working cinemas since 1932 but was closed down in several instances due to the turbulent militancy history in the Valley.

We conducted a keyword search for 'Srinagar Multiplex' and came across the following article from Hindustan Times published on September 20, 2022.

The Hindustan Times article mentions that in the Kashmir Valley, till the late 1980s, almost a dozen cinema halls were functioning in Kashmir. The article states, "However, these were forced to closure in the early 1990s due to the spread of terrorism." Authorities made attempts to reopen some theatres in the late 1990s, which was disrupted after a deadly grenade attack on Regal Cinema in the heart of Lal Chowk in September 1999.

The attack led to killing one person on the day the theatre was reopened. Neelam and Broadway theatres were also reopened in high-security areas of Srinagar but were closed again.

Image Credit: Hindustan Times

We came across a report by Al Jazeera published on September 20, 2022. The report titled, 'Kashmir gets its first multiplex as cinemas return after 23 years', talked about how Kashmir had dozens of cinemas until an armed rebellion against Indian rule forced their closure in the early 1990s.

"Many of these complexes were turned into Indian security camps and fenced with razor wire. Others became shopping complexes and hospitals." the Al Jazeera report states.

Image Credit: Aljazeera

We also came across a report by Firstpost published on September 20, 2022. The report titled, 'A look at the Valley's troubled history with cinema halls.' Reportedly, in the late 80s and 90s, the theatres were forced to close shutters when the Valley was gripped by militancy.

As per the report, Kashmir's first film theatre was constructed by Bhai Anant Singh Gauri at Lal Chowk in 1932. The theatre was initially named Kashmir Talkies but was later changed to Palladium, named after perhaps the famous theatre at St. Petersberg. The Firstpost report notes that in the 1980s, there were nine cinema halls in Srinagar, out of a total of 15 in Kashmir. The popular theatres in the city were Broadway, Naaz, Neelam, Regal, Khayam, and Sheraz.

As per the Firstpost report, over the years, some of these cinema halls have been razed, and several lies in ruin. Reportedly, the Firdaus theatre in Srinagar, which once showed movies like Sholay, has been fortified with a razor fence and surrounded by bunkers. The Firstpost report also notes that cinema halls in Kashmir became the first target of militants in 1989.

"In August 1989, a lesser-known and now defunct militant group Allah Tigers led by Air Marshal Noor Khan announced a ban on theatres and bars in the region through local newspapers. Films were branded "unIslamic" by extremists who called for an Islamic uprising, adopting the slogan from the 1979 Iranian revolution, "La Sharakeya Wala Garabeya, Islamia, Islamia (Nor West nor East only Islam is the best)." The report also carried this graphic detailing the history of cinema halls in Kashmir.

Image Credit: Firstpost

The report also notes that there have been attempts to reopen theatres. In 1999, the Farooq Abdullah-led government tried to reopen three cinema halls, Regal, Neelam and Broadway, to screen films. However, a militant attack at the first show at Regal left one person dead and 12 others injured. So the cinema halls were closed again.

Image Credit: First Post

Conclusion:

We found that Kashmir had several working cinemas since 1932 but they was closed down in several instances due to the turbulent militancy history in the Valley. In the 1990s, several cinema halls were shut down due to targeted attacks on the establishments. Thus, we found that the viral claim is false.




If you have any news that you believe needs to be fact-checked, please email us at factcheck@thelogicalindian.com or WhatsApp at 6364000343.

Also Read: No, 400 Madrasas And Mosques In Rampur Did Not Participate In Electricity Theft As Claimed By Media Outlets

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Editor : Snehadri Sarkar
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Creatives : Jakir Hassan

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