Company Jadooj will open two mini theaters in Pulwama and Shopian on 18th September
Company Jadooj will open two mini theaters in Pulwama and Shopian on 18th September
After more than 30 years thanks to Chennai-based entertainment start-up Jadoo, culture and cinema in the Kashmir Valley is ready for a big push. The company, which has set up mini theaters in rural areas of India, is opening two mini theaters in Pulwama and Shopian on Sunday. Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha will unveil the screen.
“In the 80s and early 90s, theaters here in the Valley had to drop their screens due to the rise in militancy. People of this area had to travel for 4-6 hours to see the film. Hindu, “J&K had some of the most beautiful theaters three decades ago. After that there were spectators but the cinema disappeared. So with the help of the government, we decided to start operations here.” According to him, it took 15 days to install the screens and prepare the facilities.
In the coming months, the start-up will come up with theaters in Adampur, Khatua and Bhaderwah to name a few.
Currently, the start-up has 20 screens up and running across the country and will add 50 more in the coming months. “Of this, 25 will come to J&K alone,” Mr Nehra said. “At Bhaderwah, we will work from an old theater which was shut down in the 80s. It is a 120 seater theatre. We are working on it,” he explained.
The start-up invests anywhere between ₹50 lakh to one crore, depending on the location, for each of these centres. It has earmarked around ₹25 crore for the upcoming theatres.
Founded in 2018 by actors, classical dancers and Padma Shri awardees Shobhana and Sri Nehra, a technocrat with degrees from NIT-Trichy, the start-up owns and operates the entertainment sector which includes a 30-50 seater cinema hall, virtual reality Includes (VR) areas, interactive education areas and cafes in villages in India.
Apart from screening of films, Jadu also intends to open both these places for education. “We will use this place as a coaching center when there is no screening. Presently students from the Valley are going to Srinagar for engineering and other coaching,” Mr. Nehra said.