RAWALPINDI: Pakistani filmmakers say they are hopeful of the entertainment industry’s revival as movie theaters reopened on Friday in eight cities with the highest vaccination rates.
The coronavirus pandemic shut down Pakistani cinemas in March 2020, delaying new releases and shots.
Having fully vaccinated only over 29 million people against COVID-19, the South Asian nation of 220 million has been trying to encourage its citizens to get their jabs. As part of the efforts, residents of the cities where vaccination levels are high are now allowed to enjoy the movies again.
The reopening of cinemas in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Gilgit, Skardu, Muzaffarabad, Mirpur, Quetta and Peshawar was announced earlier this week by Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Chaudhry, who expressed hope other cities, such as Karachi and Lahore, will also increase their vaccination drives to enjoy the relaxation of coronavirus restrictions.
راولپنڈی اسلام آباد سمیت آٹھ شہروں میں سینیما کھولنے کی اجازت دے دی گئ ہے، امید ہے لاہور اور کراچی کی انتظامیہ ویکسینیشن ڈرائیو کو بڑھائیں گے تاکہ اگلے دس دنوں میں ان شہروں کے سینیما بھی کھل سکیں، ،،۔۔ pic.twitter.com/DprwrYgdLz
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) September 29, 2021
Filmmakers have welcomed the move, with Mehreen Jabbar, producer and director known for “Dobara Phir Se” and “Dino Ki Dulhaniya,” saying the reopening, although limited, was “great news.”
“I am hoping this is a catalyst for a re revival of cinema,” Jabbar told Arab News on Friday. “I have missed going to the theater and look forward to catching a film on the big screen soon.”
Zeeshan Khan who produced the film “Talaash,” which hit the movies right before the pandemic, said it would “inspire filmmakers to get to work.”
“This may be one of the driving forces that pushes for the cinema fraternity to make art and bring it back to the theaters, especially after this past year,” he said.
But Nadeem Mandviwalla, one of Pakistan’s biggest cinema owners, is less optimistic about the industry’s quick revival.
“It’s a very dark period for the cinemas at the moment,” he told Arab News. “Even with these eight cities, most of the cinemas will remain closed around the country without Lahore and Karachi.”
“We still won’t be able to release any of the new international films, the movies do not come for cities, they come for the country. Most of the cinemas, need to be opened up.”
He said he hoped the government would reevaluate its strategy, as the survival of the country’s cinemas depended on the two most populous cities.
“This is the only business which has not opened up for the last one and a half year, every other business has been running with restrictions but eventually they are open, but not cinema,” Mandviwalla said.
“If we open up, it’s not going to be something very, very extraordinary just due to the film delays that have happened, but at least we need to open up and we need to gain confidence of the people, of the public, to come back. That could take months.”