Nolan’s Oppenheimer – Biggest release in Kashmir, after SRK’s Pathaan

Cinemas in Kashmir have been resuscitated by Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, with Srinagar’s only multiplex being house full for three days straight. The movie starring Cillian Murphy witnessed record sales in the Valley.

The INOX in Srinagar was revamped and reopened only last year, after all the theaters in the Valley were forced shut in 1989, following the rise of terrorism. It was SRK’s Pathaan that had been the major turning point for theatres in Kashmir and attracted the audience to the silver screen. Hollywood’s Oppenheimer is the only movie after Bollywood’s Pathaan that has bagged consecutive house full shows. 

Hollywood blockbuster, Oppenheimer has garnered a phenomenal response in the Valley, the first Hollywood thriller that has outdone itself in terms of commercial success and has been a game-changer for Kashmir's only multiplex where Cinemas remained shut for 33 years. INOX Srinagar reported record sales on Friday, the day the movie was released. “The overwhelming response from the audience has truly been surprising”, said Vikas Dhar, owner of INOX Srinagar.

Previously, Kashmir too, much like Bombay, had a steady chain of theaters that were frequented by the moviegoers of the valley. The first theatre ‘KashmirTalkie’ was founded in Srinagar in 1932, two years before the coveted ‘Bombay Talkies’ was founded in Bombay. Soon, theatres such as Regal Cinema followed, many of which projected Hollywood films as well. However, the entertainment industry in Kashmir came to a standstill in 1989 owing to the rise of terrorism backed by religious dogmatism. Several attempts to reopen the theatres failed, up until recently, when the only INOX in Srinagar was reopened.

Directed by Christopher Nolan, starring Cillian Murphy and Florence Pugh, Oppenheimer is a biopic based on the life of American theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer who spend years developing and designing the atomic bomb. The film uncovers the lethal implications of the invention of a deadly weapon. Oppenheimer has ushered in a semblance of normalcy in the Kashmir Valley. “Tickets are sold out for another few days. It has surpassed our expectations. We had never thought that a Hollywood film will get such a response”, said an elated Vikas Dhar, owner of INOX Srinagar.