Cinema is the most popular and common source of
entertainment. Years ago, more than seven cinemas were in Quetta to entertain
the viewers of Pashto films. But now the number of Pashto cinemas are decreased
to just two in the capital city of Balochistan.
Manager of a local cinema says “the standard the Pashto films
have declined, producers and directors don’t know the cultural borderlines”.
98% of the chairs in the cinema remain empty every day and
the infrastructure of the cinema is miserable.
Muhammad Iqbal , an employ in the cinema told , we had to
closed the entrance of cinema with in an half hour after opening it for the
public as all the seats were always booked with in 30 minutes four decades ago.
The Pashto cinema started its golden era in 1970 , produced
variety of films as “Darra Khyber” , “Bangri”
and many more.
Kamal Khan, 52, one of the viewers, I was a boy at time as I
used to visit cinema in the evening of daily basis. I never seen even a single
empty chair in the cinema that time.
Terrorism is a great factor in the declination of Pashto
cinemas in Quetta as Imdad cinema was burned twice once in the reaction of
USSR’s attack on Afghanistan and once by the workers of a religious political
party, a man in the cinema told me.
Cinemas were firstly attacked by extremists and then by
militants.
At a time Pashto cinema was one it’s peak , people from
other districts of the province were coming to cinemas to watch the movies but
the Zia regime and after that , war on terror broke the fabric of Pashto Cinema
industry in Quetta.
Iqbal was asked how many movies are screened here every
month?
Four films per month, the collective number of viewers are
not even more than 400 as a time was there when we had more than 3000 viewers
per month.
A Pashto cinema at Toghi Road Quetta has closed and it’s
building is now turning into a commercial plaza and a cinema at Prince Road
Quetta has turned into a nursery.
Manager of Imdad Chowk Cinema considers , films should be
produced according to “ Pashtun Culture “ , if producers are lacking stories _
I would want to recall them the story of Ajab Khan ( Freedom Fighter in British
era ) and many other stories are there .These are not the movies to watch_
youth will not visit cinemas for such movies . Movies as Durkhanai got the
attention of viewers, Why ? only because of it’s story .
In recent years old heroes like Badar Munir , Asif Khan and
others are replaced by actors like Arbaz and Jahangir Khan etc . Their films are failed to catch the
viewers as films are having violent and anti-culture scenes.
Employ of the cinema Muhammad thinks , “ Mobile phones have
badly effected our cinema industry , people are prevented not to use smart
phones in cinema but they use as they copy movies by their smart phone cameras
and then share that on internet.
Decades ago , we had viewers like legend “ Samad Khan
Achakzai “( founder of a political party
PKMAP ) but unfortunately now only drugs
addicts are there in the cinema , manager of cinema replied , future _ ? hope
may the old days come again but not possible by producing such movies .
Watch the posters, do you think people will visit cinema for
these films? manager asked me having aggression in his eyes.
Muhammad Waseem , 24, an employee says , this cinema is
having just 3 employees and still tough for the owner to provide us our
salaries. I came here four years ago _ situation was not too worst as it is
now.
Years ago, Pashto cinema was at its peak, at that time their
movies screened in Peshawar, Kohat, Quetta, Mardan Karachi and also in Kabul.
These movies managed to beat even Bollywood movies and dominated the theaters
there.
Kamal the viewer_ thinks , no one will visit cinema until
the movies are not produced as what people want to watch , if I had any other
activity to do even I might be not here.
A man associated with Pashto cinema told me _”the blame for
the failure of cinemas in the region on unprecedented terrorism that has
prevailed”.
Another viewer complained for the worst condition and hot
weather in the cinema house but still he says I enjoyed the movie there.
Senior employee of the cinema
Iqbal stated with impuissance , only two Pashto cinemas are running here in
Quetta now but we may not able to continue this one in nearer future.
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