By-Harikumar Menon
Mumbai
Kashmir has had a deep and historic connection with Indian cinema. Before the outbreak of militancy, cinema was a popular form of entertainment in the Valley. Srinagar alone had several cinema halls, including Palladium, Regal, Neelam, Broadway, Khayam, Firdaus and Shiraz.
However, this vibrant cinema culture came to an abrupt end with the rise of militancy in the late 1980s.
In 1989, militant groups issued threats against cinema halls, describing them as “un-Islamic”. Cinema owners were threatened and some theatres were attacked. By 1 January 1990, virtually all the operating cinema halls in Kashmir had shut down.
There were attempts to revive cinema later. In 1996, three theatres—Regal, Neelam and Broadway—briefly reopened. But the revival did not last. In September 1999, militants attacked Regal Cinema with grenades during a screening, killing one person and injuring several others. The attack effectively ended the attempt to restore regular cinema screenings.
For more than three decades, cinema theatres remained largely absent from the Kashmir Valley. Some former theatres were subsequently used for other purposes.
A major change came in September 2022, when INOX opened a modern multiplex in Srinagar—the first major cinema theatre to return to the Valley in about 33 years.
A New Chapter
Today, Kashmir is witnessing an even more significant revival of cinema.
The first International Film Festival of Jammu & Kashmir (IFFJK), titled “Rang-e-Cinema”, is being held from 7 to 10 September 2026.
The festival features films from India and abroad, including feature films, documentaries, short films and regional cinema. Around 135 films from about 40 countries are participating. Screenings and events are being held at venues including SKICC, INOX Multiplex Srinagar, Movie Time Cinemas in Jammu and the Gulmarg Convention Centre.
The festival therefore represents much more than a film event. It is a remarkable transformation—from a period when cinema halls were forced to close because of militancy to a time when films from around the world are being screened in Kashmir as part of an international cultural festival.
It marks the return of cinema as an important part of Kashmir’s cultural life and sends a powerful message about the revival of normalcy, tourism, culture and the creative economy in the Valley.
From closed cinema halls in the 1990s to an international film festival in 2026 — Kashmir has indeed travelled a remarkable journey.