PESHAWAR: Pashto film industry always has been in deep crises, be it decades of militancy, terrorism, razing of cinema theatres and the current pandemic.

The Pashto film industry is fast approaching its worst stage and more than 14,000 people affiliated with it have already packed up as the cinema culture has rung its bell to fall the curtain on the theaters.

Three Pashto movies titled ‘Nawee Zakhmoona, ‘Raj Da Badmashai’ and ‘Badmashi Da Khayal Kawa’ directed and produced by Shahid Usman, Nadir Khan and Arshad Khan were completed and ready for release on Eidul Fitr but did not see light of the day due to ban on screening on cinema houses. Only their trailers have been uploaded on the social media.

The cinema owners, film producers, distributors and performers seemed to be in great turmoil and have lost hope for revival of the once flourishing Pashto film industry also dubbed as Pollywood due to its thriving business as its box office used to be flooded with film buyers and promoters.

Theatres remain closed owing to lockdown during Eid holidays

On Eidul Fitr, Peshwarites did not go to stand in queue for purchasing tickets to see their favourite film stars on the silver screens because of the government’s announcement that all the public places including, restaurants, cinema houses and public parks will remain closed owing to lockdown.

Most cinema owners and film makers believe that this probably be the end of the story of Pashto film industry while many are still optimistic about its revival because they understand that militancy could not put an end to it so pandemic too would fail to damage it anyway yet performers also believe that Pashto film industry would survive Covid-19 pandemic.

A cinema owner while claiming anonymity told this scribe that perhaps under a planned conspiracy, Pashto cinema business was being destroyed. He said that the authorities remained silent when the owners began demolishing and dismantling those entertainment centres.

Today Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has reduced to a province where no cinema exists and city like Peshawar has only four theaters where once there used to be more than two dozen cinema houses. In the past, every big city had two or three cinema house.

Noted film director Arshad Khan said that over 400 artists and performers related to cinema business were affected while film producers and film makers would suffer a major financial setback though three Pashto movies had been completed but would remain in the cases of reels.

Tariq Jamal and Ajab Gul, two senior Pashto film stars, when contacted, said that payments of most the actors and performers could not be paid out due to ban on cinema houses. They added that only than 30 per cent amount was paid to the film stars in advance.

It seems to be the last nail in the coffin of Pashto film industry. “There is a Pashto maxim that goes ‘Che Akhtar Tair Shee Nu Nakrize Pa Dewal Otapa’ meaning if henna a reddish brown dye is not applied to hands on the occasion of Eid then it should be put on the wall instead. It means if films are not allowed to be screened on the cinema houses then they are good for nothing,” said the film stars.

Published in Dawn, May 17th, 2021