Rayees Ahmad, 33, is a huge fan of Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan. On Wednesday, February 1 for the first time he watched King Khan’s latest movie — Pathaan in a cinema hall in Srinagar’s Shivpora area where INOX, last year, set up Kashmir’s first-ever multiplex, bringing back cinema halls after a gap of three decades.
In the absence of cinemas in the Valley, Ahmad, like other film lovers, did not have the courtesy to watch films on the large screen.
Hailing from central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district, 24 km from Srinagar, Ahmad was born in the year 1990 when all the cinema halls were closed following militant threats and attacks in Kashmir.
A carpenter by profession he did not go to work on Wednesday and instead travelled to Srinagar where he watched Pathaan along with his friend Salik Nazir. “Amid snow and intense cold conditions, I left home early in the morning and watched Pathaan. I did not tell my parents that I will watch a movie in the cinema because my parents are religious and they won’t allow me to watch movies. However, I was so excited to see SRK on the big screen and today my dream came true,” says Ahmad with a smile.
During the past one week, movie lovers in Kashmir have been waiting in a queue to get tickets, bringing back houseful boards outside theatres.
The Siddharth Anand directorial was released on January 25 and, since then, the INOX multiplex in Srinagar has been jam packed with thousands of people across Kashmir booking the tickets and watching the movie.
Even before its second weekend the YRF spy thriller, also starring Deepika Padukone and John Abraham has earned Rs 650 crore worldwide and entered the Rs 330 crore club in India.
“On 25th of January Shah Rukh Khan was screened on a big screen in Srinagar after three decades. For the first two consecutive days, 12 out of 14 shows were houseful. I noticed everyone including old men, women and children came in numbers to watch the movie,” says Mir Imtiyaz, floor manager at INOX Srinagar.
Altaf Ahmad, the manager of the sole multiplex tells Moneycontrol that, so far, only two shows have recorded less participation due to the Republic Day celebrations on January 26 followed by Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra.
“I did not imagine Shah Rukh Khan would have such a huge fan base in the Valley. With Pathaan being released in the first month of the new year the people of the valley found the opportunity to see their favourite celebrity on a large screen.”
Talking to Moneycontrol owner of INOX multiplex Vijay Dhar says that so far 8,000 tickets have been sold with all three cinemas halls houseful. “After 30 years, SRK is being screened in Kashmir and the public response has been overwhelming. Pathaan movie is also the first movie which has seen huge bookings ever since multiplex was started in September last year.”
On January 25, the official Twitter handle of INOX tweeted: “Today, with #Pathaan frenzy gripping the nation, we are grateful to KING KHAN for bringing the treasured #HOUSEFULL sign back to the Kashmir Valley after 32 long years! Thank you #ShahRukhKhan (sic),” read the tweet.
In another tweet INOX wrote: Kashmir has shown "extraordinary love" to Pathaan and Shah Rukh Khan.
The movie has also brought back nostalgia and peoples’ recollections of old memories of crowded movie theatres after three decades. For example, after 35 long years, two childhood friends — Feroz Ahmad and Bashir Ahmad of Dalgate area of Srinagar city thronged to Srinagar's only multiplex theatre to watch a movie on a big screen. “The last time we watched a movie in a cinema hall in Srinagar was Sunny Deol-starring Yateem released in 1988. It is an emotional moment that after more than three decades, we have again watched a movie together. While watching Pathaan we recall our childhood memories and also get goosebumps,” says Feroz.
His friend Bashir (43) adds that in the 1980s, he would prefer to watch movies during night. “There was no fear and tickets back then were sold between Rs 1 and Rs 7. Today we paid around Rs 260 to watch Pathaan but the movie is so special with amazing action and thrill.”
Before cinemas could return to Kashmir, Rayees Ahmad says he was craving to watch SRK’s movie on a big screen but due to lack of sufficient money he could not afford to travel to Jammu, Delhi or Chandigarh to watch the films in theatre.
Inside the INOX-designed multiplex with three auditoriums that can seat 520 people, a number of old-aged people wearing pherans watched Pathaan.
From southern Kashmir’s Shopian district, 51 km from Srinagar, an 11-year-old Izhan Shakeel was impatiently sitting outside the theatre to watch his first movie on a big screen. “I love Shah Rukh Khan's movies and, today, I am super excited to watch my favourite actor in the cinema. Our town has mounds of snow measuring five-six feet but I along with my cousins managed to reach Srinagar to watch Pathaan. While I was traveling I was getting so excited and curious to enjoy my first ever movie in a theatre,” says Shakeel, in between eating popcorn.
After watching Pathaan, another 14-year-old teenager Faraz of Srinagar says, out of five stars, he would give the movie 4.5 stars. “Pathaan is a good movie because it has amazing action and suspense. I love all the movies of King Khan. After watching Mohabbatein (2000), I became his big fan and every time his new movie releases, I go and watch it on TV and on the internet. For the first time, I saw my favourite superstar’s movie on a big screen in my native city.”
Similarly, 22-year-old Sajid Abbasi from Bemina area of Srinagar while reacting to Pathaan film says for the first time he saw a Bollywood movie quite similar to a Hollywood movie. “It was a great action movie with John Abraham, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan together. In the movie John’s appearance is icing on the cake while Deepika Padukone’s acting is epic. The trailer, reels of Pathaan and reviews prompted me to book a ticket and watch my second movie on a big screen in Srinagar,” says Abbasi with a smile.
Interestingly, a lot of people had come to watch Pathaan after controversy started over the song Besharam Rang.
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