Cinema in Swat opens after 18 months

Peshawar : Cinema in Swat, the main entertainment centre of Swat after reaming closed for more than 18 months has re-started screening films that attracted a large number of audience to watch Pashto film’. The cinema, which is hardly situated at the distance of one Kilometer from the Green Chowk, where the militants used to hang their opponents, had started its business amid hopes and worriers as no body inside was sure about the future of cinima in Swat. Every body who came to watch the film was amazed with the opening of the Cinima that displayed a huge sign board of film actors and actresses wearing mini scirts and paint shirts, the dress usually unliked in the conservative society like Swat. Despite the dilapidated condition of the Cinima, which has no facility for the viewers, the audiences were anxiously waiting to watch the silver screen for the first time after the advent of Taliban in Swat. There was no air-condition and refreshment facility inside the cinima hall, also badly damaged during the operation but still the viewers turned up in large number to the cinima hall where they were sitting on seats almost very much uncomfortable for the audience. Majority of the viewers were of youngster aging between 15-20 years, had come to the hall and were looking very involved with the filimi poster and pictures displayed in the hall. “We were expecting a few of audience at the first show but it was astonishing for us that a large number of audiences came to watch the film on the silver screen," a cinima staffer told this scribe. Ayub Khan, manager, was very much hopeful about the revival of cinima in the valley saying that they were on the loosing side but sitll they dared to start cinima to provide entertainment to the people of the scenic valley who were badly suffered during past two years. " our business is badly suffered as the cinima remained closed for 18 months and during the period we had to pay the electricity bills and other taxis," Ayub Khan said adding that the cinema was started again with the hope that situation will improve in Swat and people will come to the theater to watch movies on the mega screen. Urging the government to give them relief and exempt the cinimas of Swat from all kinds of taxes, Ayub Khan said " we are fighting on every front, we are attached to the business never liked by extremists and militants but still we have no favour from the government as it has imposed many kinds of taxes on cinima even that Swat is tax free zone," he remarked. He said that the people’s interest in the cinima was encouraging for him and this encouragement will help him to continue screening the film on the silver screen in the main city of troubled Swat. On other side the film viewers were very happy but they were not sure that the cinima will continue screening films for indefinite period as threats from militants are in their minds and long period will require removing such kind of apprehensions after which they will be able to watch the films with mental satisfaction and concentration.