{"id":8659,"date":"2026-07-31T10:13:35","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T10:13:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/?p=8659"},"modified":"2026-07-31T10:13:36","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T10:13:36","slug":"peshawars-fading-cinemas-expose-a-deeper-cultural-loss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/?p=8659","title":{"rendered":"Peshawar\u2019s fading cinemas expose a deeper cultural loss"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Peshawar\u2019s<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Peshawar\u2019s historic cinema culture has shrunk to a few struggling theatres as commercial redevelopment, piracy, militancy and digital entertainment reshape viewing habits. Cultural experts warn the closures are eroding a key part of Pashto identity and community life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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PESHAWAR: Peshawar\u2019s once-bustling cinema culture has been reduced to a handful of surviving halls as landmark theatres give way to shopping plazas and audiences shift to streaming platforms, short-form video and other digital entertainment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The change is especially stark in a city long regarded as the centre of Pashto cinema, where movie houses once doubled as public gathering spaces and cultural venues. Of nearly 15 cinemas that once operated in Peshawar, only a few \u2014 including Arshad, Aaeena, Naz and Shama \u2014 remain open, and even those are struggling to stay viable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For many residents, the closures mark more than the decline of a business. Ehtisham Khan, a lecturer in Urdu literature, said one of his most cherished routines was driving with friends to Firdus Cinema on GT Road, where weekend crowds lined up for Pashto films. He said, \u201cIt was heartbreaking to see Firdus Cinema disappear. I watched countless Pashto films there during weekends since my childhood and came here on Eid days with my family and friends. Now, all I see are glass and cloth shops. The cultural soul of the place has vanished after the cinemas were bulldozed for commercialisation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Across the city, halls once known to generations of filmgoers \u2014 including Capital, Falak Sair, Sabrina, Metro, Shabistan, Palwasha and Naz \u2014 drew thousands of visitors every week in their prime. Many of those sites have since been overtaken by commercial development, while the younger generation increasingly spends leisure time online rather than in theatres.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Industry under pressure<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Exhibitors say the financial model has become increasingly difficult. Gohar Yousafzai, manager of Sabrina Cinema, said, \u201cEven on weekends, when we once expected full houses, we barely sell enough tickets to cover electricity bills. Operating costs continue to rise while audiences continue to shrink. Without policy support and investment, survival has become increasingly difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Veterans of the industry trace the decline to a combination of creative, security and regulatory setbacks. Director Shahid Khan said Pashto filmmakers in the 1990s increasingly turned to sensational and horror-driven productions, pushing away family audiences that had sustained the industry for decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also linked the downturn to militancy, which targeted cinema halls and deepened public insecurity. Among the attacks recalled by industry figures was the bombing of Shama Cinema, while theatres in Swat, Mardan and Kohat closed permanently as the security situation worsened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pride of Performance recipient Javed Babar said the absence of a provincial censor board after the 18th Constitutional Amendment created a gap that fuelled piracy through memory cards, DVDs and online leaks, damaging box office income. He said, \u201cHundreds of artists, technicians and cinema workers became unemployed first by terrorism and later by Covid-19. Some actors now drive rickshaws or work as labourers to support their families.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From cultural engine to uncertain future<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Pashto cinema\u2019s rise is closely tied to the release of Yousuf Khan Sher Bano<\/em> in 1970, described by film veterans as the first Pashto-language feature film. The industry went on to popularise stories centred on honour, courage, love and family values, while actors such as Badar Munir, Yasmeen Khan and Asif Khan became household names.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shahid Khan said, \u201cPashto cinema was our cultural treasure. When we lost our cinemas, we also lost an important connection with our history.\u201d He nevertheless said the audience had not disappeared entirely, adding, \u201cThe audience still exists but we need quality films. If quality films are produced, people will certainly return.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Officials say support measures are being pursued for the film sector, including financial incentives, tax exemptions, a national film institute and better production facilities. But filmmakers and exhibitors argue that a durable recovery will require stronger anti-piracy laws, modern cinema infrastructure, support for scriptwriters and a provincial film policy tailored to local needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cultural and legal experts say the shrinking number of cinemas also affects social life. Dr Malik Riaz said cinema, theatre and live performance have historically created places where communities meet and exchange ideas. Human rights lawyer Asif Khan Yousafzai said protecting cultural spaces is as important as preserving physical infrastructure because such venues help sustain identity and social cohesion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For residents who grew up with single-screen theatres, the loss remains intensely personal. Ehtisham Khan now travels to Rawalpindi or Lahore to watch new releases, saying younger generations may never know the atmosphere that once made a trip to the cinema a defining part of growing up in Peshawar.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Peshawar\u2019s historic cinema culture has shrunk to a few struggling theatres as commercial redevelopment, piracy, militancy and digital entertainment reshape viewing habits. Cultural experts warn..<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8659","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-showbiz"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":"","thumbnail":"","medium":"","medium_large":"","large":"","1536x1536":"","2048x2048":""},"author_info":{"info":["admin"]},"category_info":"Showbiz<\/a>","tag_info":"Showbiz","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8659","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8659"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8659\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8660,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8659\/revisions\/8660"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8659"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8659"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8659"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}