India

Kashmir: Films return to big screen after 23 years

Theatres are set to reopen more than two decades after an armed rebellion forced their closure.

Movie theatres are set to reopen in Indian-administered Kashmir for the first time in more than two decades. Moazum Mohammad and Abid Bhat report on the return of the cinema to the conflict-torn region – and what it means for the people.

The foyer of the INOX multiplex in Kashmir’s main city of Srinagar is filled with the region’s crafts – intricate wood carvings on the ceiling and doors and a theatre logo made of papier-mâché.

“It took us four years to reach this day,” says Vikas Dhar who, along with his father, has partnered with the multiplex chain to open the cinema complex in the region.

It was no ordinary task – the Dhar family demolished an eight-room guest house to make way for the four-storey multiplex.

An inaugural screening was held on 20 September with Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan’s Laal Singh Chaddha – an adaptation of the Hollywood hit Forrest Gump.

Manoj Sinha, the lieutenant-governor of Jammu and Kashmir, called it a “historic day” and “a reflection of a new dawn of hope, dreams, confidence and aspirations of people”.

Image source, Abid Bhat

The cinema complex has three movie halls, all equipped with sophisticated sound systems.

Two auditoriums will begin screening films from Saturday, while the third is yet to open to public. The complex will also house an entertainment zone for kids.

The Dhars say they wanted to give children of Kashmir – a region torn by decades of conflict and violence – a chance to enter “the world of fantasy”.

“Children in Kashmir do not get any entertainment after school hours,” Mr Dhar says. “We sifted through ideas and decided to open this multiplex.”

Image source, Abid Bhat

Until the early 1990s, Kashmir – India’s only Muslim-majority region – had a dozen cinemas, with 10 in the main city of Srinagar alone.

A lot of Bollywood films were also shot in the region, known for its idyllic meadows and picturesque landscapes.

But an armed rebellion against Indian rule that started in late 1980s forced cinema halls to close.

As violence intensified, Allah Tigers – a militant group – announced a ban on film screenings and liquor shops, declaring them against Islam.

Many of these complexes were turned into camps for Indian security forces while others became shopping complexes and hospitals.

Indian authorities attempted to reopen three halls in 1999, but a deadly militant attack at the Regal Cinema, which killed one and wounded eight others, thwarted those efforts.

Image source, Abid Bhat

Manmohan Singh Gauri, the owner of the oldest Palladium cinema (formerly Kashmir Talkies), still remembers their last film screening – it was 31 December 1989 of Bollywood film Maha Badmash, starring Vinod Khanna.

Opened by his grandfather in 1932, the cinema located in Srinagar’s Lal Chowk area had entertained Kashmiris for decades, before it was burnt down in 1993.

The cinema was also the backdrop for India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s historic speech on 2 November 1947 in which he promised Kashmiris a referendum to choose between India and Pakistan. Both countries claim Kashmir in entirety but control only parts of it.

“We were left without a livelihood and lived as refugees away from home,” says Mr Gauri, who fled to Amritsar city in Punjab following the outbreak of violence in the region.

But the re-opening of theatres has inspired him to restart his family establishment.

Mr Gauri said he met Lt-Gov Sinha, who spoke about renewing “the bond between Jammu Kashmir and the Indian film industry through cinema”.

Image source, ABID BHAT

In 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government stripped the region of its autonomy and split it into two federally-run territories of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir.

Since then, a series of laws and policies have been implemented which the government says will bring development – a claim contested by residents who worry that the moves are aimed at changing the demography of the region.

The Lt-Gov Sinha-led administration has also taken several measures to woo filmmakers back into the region.

“We are in the process of setting up a Film City here and also establishing 100-seater cinemas across all the 20 districts in Jammu and Kashmir,” he announced in his inaugural address at the INOX theatre.

Image source, Abid Bhat

Local artists are hopeful that the changes would allow them to showcase their work.

“I hope the new cinema halls will at least keep one screening per day for locally made films,” actor-filmmaker Mushtaque Ali Ahmad Khan says.

For others, the reopening of cinemas has evoked a sense of nostalgia.

Dilshada, a 73-year-old homemaker from north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, remembers how she used to watch movies with her family.

Now a grandmother, Dilshada said she had visited almost every theatre in the region in her days.

She remembered the day when she went to watch the 1973 film Bobby – starring Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia – with her cousin. The sisters had to cover their faces to avoid being identified.

“As Dimple appeared on the screen, people began to shout and hoot. We were nervous and ran out,” Dilshada says.

Image source, ABID BHAT

They eventually went back and watched the full movie, she said. “After a few days, I went with my husband to watch it again. But I did not tell him that I had seen it before.”

While the return of cinema has delighted people like Dilshada, others accuse the authorities of turning it into a political project.

A journalism student, requesting anonymity, said this was the government’s latest attempt to show that the region was back to normalcy, and that “no-one in Kashmir opposed cinemas in the first place”.

Mr Dhar remains conscious of the fragile political and security situation in the region. But he says that he “followed his heart”.

“If only one person visits [the cinema hall], I will be happy,” he says.

India

Karnataka Polls: 2,613 Candidates In Fray, Rebel Trouble For Parties

A total of 2,613 candidates are in the poll fray, as the withdrawal of candidatures for the May 10 Assembly elections in Karnataka came to an end on Monday, election officials said.

Karnataka Polls: A total of 517 candidates have withdrawn their candidature till Monday.

Bengaluru:

A total of 2,613 candidates are in the poll fray, as the withdrawal of candidatures for the May 10 Assembly elections in Karnataka came to an end on Monday, election officials said.

A total of 517 candidates have withdrawn their candidature till Monday, even as parties faced “rebel trouble” in several segments.

Out of 2,613 candidates in the poll fray, 2,427 are male, 184 females and 2 others, office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Karnataka said.

Among the contesting candidates from recognised political parties- 224 from BJP, 223 Congress (supporting Sarvodaya Karnataka Party in Melukote), 207 JD(S), 209 AAP, 133 BSP , 4 CPI(M), 8 JD(U) and 2 NPP.

While 685 are from Registered Unrecognised Political Parties (RUPP), 918 are independents.

In 16 constituencies there are more than 15 candidates in the fray, so two Ballot Unit (BU) will be used in these segments during the poll.

Political parties made efforts till the last minute to ensure rebel candidates, who had filed nomination disgruntled over being denied tickets by their respective parties, to withdraw their papers.

In some cases, the parties were successful in convincing such candidates to withdraw, while “rebel trouble” loomed large on the electoral prospects of the official candidates in several constituencies.

The rebel trouble seems to be more in the case of BJP and Congress, compared to other parties.

According to party sources, Congress is facing rebel in Pulakeshinagar (Akhanda Srinivas Murthy), Harapanahalli (M P Latha Mallikarjun), Shirahatti (Ramakrishna Doddamani), Shikaripura (Nagaraj Gowda), Jagalur (H P Rajesh), Arakalagudu (Krishnegowda), among others.

In BJP rebel trouble is in – Puttur (Arun kumar Puttila), Afzalpur (Nitin Guttedar), Goolihatti Shekhar (Hosadurga), Bailhongal (Vishwanath Patil), Gundlupet (M P Sunil), Chennagiri (Madal Mallikarjun), Malur (Vijay Kumar), Gandhi Nagar (Krishnaiah Shetty), among others, party sources said.

Among those who have withdrawn as rebel candidates include – former Bengaluru Mayor- Congress’ Gangambike Mallikarjun from Chickpet, BJP’s Mahadevappa Yadawad from Ramdurg.

The elections to the 224-member assembly will be held on May 10 and results will be declared on May 13.

India

Shivraj’s Chouhan Makes A Big Announcement Before Polls

The Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led government in Madhya Pradesh, in what appears a last-minute strategy tweak, is trying to court Brahmins months ahead of the assembly elections with the constitution of a Welfare Board for the community.

Madhya Pradesh has 21,104 temples including two Jyotirlingas.

Bhopal:

Besides, the government has also announced that it would develop the Bhagwan Sri Parashurama Lok religious corridor in Indore’s Janapav. Temples, meanwhile, have been given more power over their own land.

“We have decided that the government will not have any control over the activities of the temples and the auction of temple land will be done by priests and not by collectors,” Mr Chouhan said. “Brahmins have always protected religion and culture. So for their welfare, we will set up a ‘Brahmin Welfare Board’,” he added.

Madhya Pradesh has 21,104 temples including two Jyotirlingas. Of these, 1,320 temples have more than 10 acres of agricultural land. For temples without agricultural land, priests are paid an honorarium of Rs 5,000 a month.

The government’s move has triggered questions, especially since Brahmins comprise only 5 to 6 per cent of the state’s electorate.

A clue appears to lie in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the state. The Prime Minister visited Rewa, located in Vindhyas — probably the only region in the country where the upper castes constitute the largest portion of the population. In some assembly seats of Satna and Rewa districts, the population of Brahmins crosses 40 per cent.

In 2018, the Vindhya region prevented Congress from returning to power with full majority. The area now seems to be emerging as one of the most intriguing battlegrounds of the poll-bound state.

In 2018, BJP won 24 out of 30 seats in Vindhyas – up from 17 in 2013. The number of Congress seats slid from 11 to six.

But two recent events – the emergence of Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party in the area and a new party floated by MLA Narayan Tripathi — have given the BJP some cause for concern, sources indicated.

In Rewa and Singrauli, the BJP lost the urban local body polls last year as AAP made its Madhya Pradesh debut with a victory in Singrauli. Mr Tripathi, who earlier belonged to the BJP, has meanwhile been flexing muscle, claiming that his party will contest 30 assembly seats in the region.

The Congress has scoffed at the BJP move, saying the Chief Minister is thinking of giving respect to Brahmins after 18 years. “Till date, he kept neglecting them in the cabinet, now he is making announcements to woo the Brahmins,” said Congress spokesperson KK Mishra.

Claiming that Mr Chouhan has made announcements in Janapav, the birthplace of Parshuram, he said, “What happened to those announcements?”

“It should not be seen from the point of view of elections or votes,” said BJP leader Rahul Kothari.

“Let the Congress makes allegations but they should first answer for the condition of the temples during their tenure. They should answer for the Ramvan Path Gaman,” he added.

India

Senior Citizen Dead After Man Jumps On Him In Mumbai Swimming Pool

A 72-year-old man died after another person jumped on him from a height in a swimming pool in Mumbai, a police official said.

The incident took place at Mumbai’s Goregaon area.

Mumbai:

A 72-year-old man died after another person jumped on him from a height in a swimming pool in Mumbai, a police official said.

The incident took place on Sunday evening at Ozon swimming pool in Goregaon area.

The dead, identified as Vishnu Samant, was swimming when a 20-year-old man jumped into the pool from a height, the official said.

“Samant suffered injuries on his neck and other parts of the body. He was declared dead on arrival at a nearby hospital. On his wife’s complaint, a case has been registered against the 20-year-old man under Indian Penal Code Section 304-A (causing death by negligence),” he said.

India

UP Chief Minister receives death threat, case registered: Cops

A case has been registered against an unidentified person in Lucknow after a death threat was received for Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the police said on Tuesday.

The threat was received via message on ‘Dial 112’.

Lucknow:

A case has been registered against an unidentified person in Lucknow after a death threat was received for Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the police said on Tuesday.

The threat was received via message on ‘Dial 112’ (a number launched by the Uttar Pradesh government for the emergency services), in which the person stated, “I will kill CM Yogi soon”.

After receiving the threat, the Operation Commander of ‘112’ filed a case in the police station Sushant Golf City.

A case has been registered under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) Section 506, 507 and IT Act 66.

“Case has been registered under sections 506 and 507 IPC and 66 IT Act in PS Sushant Golf City against an unknown person after ‘Dial 112’ receives death threat for Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath,” the police said.

In an unrelated incident on Sunday, the police arrested the person who wrote a letter threatening to launch a suicide bomb attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Kochi scheduled for April 24.

The accused has been identified as Xavier, said the police.

On Saturday, Kerala BJP chief K Surendran said that he received a letter last week about a conspiracy to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

While talking to ANI, Kochi City Police Commissioner, K Sethu Raman said, “The person who sent the threat letter against the Prime Minister was arrested. Xavier, the accused was arrested yesterday. The reason is personal enmity. He wrote the letter to trap his neighbour. We found him with the help of forensics.”

“Tight security has been arranged for the Prime Minister arriving in Kochi. 2060 policemen have been appointed for this purpose. As part of this, traffic control has also been imposed from 2 pm,” the Commissioner added.

India

West Khasi Hills in Meghalaya is hit by a 3.5 magnitude earthquake

An earthquake of magnitude 3.5 Richter scale struck Meghalaya’s West Khasi Hills on Monday, according to National Center for Seismology (NCS).

According to the NCS, the earthquake occurred at 3:33 pm (local time).

New Delhi:

An earthquake of magnitude 3.5 Richter scale struck Meghalaya’s West Khasi Hills on Monday, according to National Center for Seismology (NCS).

The earthquake occurred at around 7:47 am, informed NCS.

“Earthquake of Magnitude:3.5, Occurred on 24-04-2023, 07:47:14 IST, Lat: 25.47 & Long: 90.94, Depth: 5 Km, Location: West Khasi Hills, Meghalaya,” NCS said in a tweet.

Earlier on Sunday, an earthquake struck Meghalaya’s South Garo Hills. The magnitude of it was recorded at 3.5 on the Richter scale according to NCS.

According to the NCS, the earthquake occurred at 3:33 pm (local time).

In a tweet, NCS said, “Earthquake of Magnitude:3.5, Occurred on 23-04-2023, 15:33:33 IST, Lat: 25.26 & Long: 90.94, Depth: 5 Km, Location: South Garo Hills, Meghalaya.”

On April 16, an earthquake of magnitude 3.6 on the Richter scale hit Manipur’s Bishnupur district. As per the readings from the centre, the earthquake occurred northwest of Bishnupur at 7:22 am (local time).

“Earthquake of Magnitude:3.6, Occurred on 16-04-2023, 07:22:49 IST, Lat: 24.84 & Long: 93.69, Depth: 10 Km, Location: 24km NNW of Bishnupur, Manipur, India for more information Download the BhooKamp App,” the NCS had said in a tweet.