Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar, a spy thriller exploring India’s covert operations in Pakistan, saw houseful shows in several areas of Kashmir, including smaller towns such as Shopian and Pulwama, over the weekend, as per reports.
Multiplexes do not operate in Shopian and Pulwama — the latter is where a terror attack killed 40 security personnel on 14 February 2019.
Despite the lack of theatre infrastructure in the towns, Dhurandhar, starring Ranveer Singh as an Indian spy, has managed to bring forth a massive response in single-screen theatres, as per exhibitors and theatre owners from Kashmir.
The nature of cinema-going in Kashmir is shaky due to a complex interplay of decades-long security concerns, militant threats, cultural and religious objections, and socio-economic factors. While cinema halls were prevalent in the region before 1989, a militant ban and subsequent attacks led to their closure for over three decades.
As per reports, exhibitors and theatre owners say that the strong response in these locations implies that the demand for cinema-going has renewed.
Citara, a new cinema chain which operates small theatres with seating capacities of 100–150 seats across Jammu & Kashmir, has witnessed a massive response for the film.
“Our focus has been on building right-sized cinemas for smaller markets. The response to Dhurandhar in towns like Shopian and Pulwama reinforces our belief that audiences will come to theatres when the experience is affordable, accessible, and close to home,” Rahul Nehra, MD of Citara Plex, told news agency ANI.
As per ticketing platform BookMyShow, at least five shows of Dhurandhar were running at INOX Srinagar on Tuesday.
Set in Pakistan in the early 2000s, Dhurandhar follows an Indian spy working to dismantle Karachi’s mafia network. Directed by Aditya Dhar and inspired by real events, the film features Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Rampal, and R. Madhavan alongside Singh.
After ten days of its theatrical run, Dhurandhar has earned Rs 350.75 crore nett in India.