Pre-partition era's 'Picture House' cinema in Pak's Peshawar city demolished to make way for commercial plaza

Peshawar, Jun 2 (PTI) The historic 'Picture House' cinema, once a cultural landmark of Peshawar, has been demolished, marking the symbolic end of once-thriving movie culture in this city of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The theatre at once-vibrant "Cinema Road" near the historic Qissa Khwani Bazaar in Peshawar was established in 1931, before the partition of India and Pakistan, by Sikh trader Daswat Singh.

The grandfather of Tayyab Raza, the current owner of the cinema, acquired it in 1947 from Singh.

The 'Picture House', demolished to make way for a commercial plaza, remained a key cultural and entertainment hub in Peshawar for over eight decades and regularly hosted three shows a day.

The cinema, which showcased films in Pashto, Urdu, and Punjabi, gained immense popularity in the 1940s with the screening of Sohrab Modi’s film Pukar in 1940 and Sikandar in 1941.

The 'Picture House', a part of the once bustling, famous entertainment city, drew audiences from across Peshawar and its surrounding areas.

The city also had Novelty Cinema and Tasveer Mahal on the same lane, earning the area the nickname "Cinema Road".

These cinemas kept the Qissa Khwani Bazaar alive late into the night, with the final shows ending as late as 2 a.m.

Crowds made way to the bazaar afterwards, where stalls selling tikka, lassi, and other traditional foods catered to filmgoers.

However, in the past five months, thirteen cinemas in Peshawar have been permanently closed, with most making way for commercial plazas.

The closures have left dozens of employees jobless and raised concerns among artists and film enthusiasts alike.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Heritage Council General Secretary Shakil Waheedullah lamented the lack of government attention towards preserving such historic institutions and warned that Peshawar’s rich cultural identity was steadily fading into obscurity.

He expressed concern over the negligence of the archaeological and culture department for their failure to protect the demolition of historic structures of the pre-partition era.

Due to deteriorating economic conditions, cinema culture is declining across the province, he said, adding that employees were left unemployed because of the closures.

Waheedullah said that although the COVID-19 pandemic played a role in reducing public gatherings, the growing popularity of Indian films and streaming applications lured audiences away from traditional cinema houses.

Picture House Cinema manager Wasim Khan said the cinema industry had suffered a huge loss due to movie-goers moving away from theatres.

Khan maintained that many filmgoers shifted to online streaming or watching Indian films at home, resulting in significant financial losses for local cinema owners.

He also said the new films were not drawing in audiences, and the few cinemas still running were struggling to cover expenses.

"The few cinemas that are still running can barely cover operational costs,” said Picture House accountant Haris Sharif.

He noted that expenses continued to rise while ticket sales dwindled.

Many cinema halls that once bustled with life now stand abandoned, he said, adding that areas like Cinema Road and Shoba Bazaar previously came alive after market hours as crowds flocked to evening shows.

“There was a time when the streets were packed after sunset. Families and youth gathered for film screenings," he said.

Arbab Waheed, a cultural activist, said a significant part of Peshawar’s cultural identity could soon be lost unless concrete steps were taken to revive local cinema.

Naz Cinema, a 90-year-old pre-partition theatre established by a Sikh businessman, was also razed to the ground in March this year after it suffered losses owing to the lack of audiences. PTI AYZ PY PY