Cinemas should lower prices: Abu Aleeha
"We should screen Indian films, but why are we refusing to reduce ticket prices from 1000 to 250 rupees, or popcorn and drink prices from 500 to 150?" he posed. "Cinema is a common people's entertainment. Please open your cinemas for them."
The Taxali Gate director elaborated on his argument further in a grid post. "The cinema owners' stance is stubborn: show Indian films or we will shut down cinemas. However, they refuse to halve ticket prices because they don't want ordinary people in their air-conditioned halls," he wrote.
Drawing comparisons with Bollywood, he added, "Around the world, parallel cinema thrives on affordable tickets. In India, big-budget films like Animal, Chhaava, Jawan, and Stree 2 were shown with tickets as low as 199 rupees to maximise audience turnout. If Pakistani films like Javed Iqbal, Maadari, John, and Laal Kabootar had 250-rupee tickets, they would have not only doubled their investment but also spurred the creation of dozens more similar films."
Abu Aleeha believes that the solution lies in making the cinema an accessible experience for all. "Screen Indian films, by all means, but keep ticket prices low so that both the elite and the common person can enjoy movies. Cinema-going is a habit, not a luxury. By making cinema more accessible, we can revitalise the Pakistani film industry and create a thriving cultural scene."
Followers echoed Abu Aleeha's sentiments in the comments section. "It is totally possible. If we have open-air cinemas, sell cheap street fare, and bring in a larger audience, we could sell tickets at a much lower price and still make a profit. Not everybody needs to go to fancy air-conditioned halls in posh locales to watch films," a user wrote, while others expressed that they couldn't agree more with the director's words.
Actor Ahmad Ali Butt also spoke out on the cinema crisis in an Instagram Story shared recently. "Our cinema needs films," he stressed, listing various industries to make his point. "We can't afford to close cinema houses anymore."
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