Dozens of cinemas have been closed in recent years, while the affordability and diversity offered by the OTT services have increasingly taken the public.
• 67 cinemas closed since 2018, says the film distributor
• Only two films are released this eid
• Costs, cultural limitations affect the film industry in the middle of OTT Boom
• Artists, producers say that the sponsorship governor of the sponsorship key for the revival of the silver screen
With a change of large cinemas, whose prices were more affordable for a larger segment of society, high -end multiplexes, a shortage of quality films and the increase in exaggerated transmission services, it seems that the curtain is falling quickly into the silver screen industry.
This is not only the history of an industry, but a cultural loss, where community entertainment routes have decreased over the years.
Sixty -seven cinemas have been closed throughout Pakistan in the last seven years, said the well -distributor of Sheikh Abid movies Sunrise. “In Punjab, only 39 cinemas remain after the closure of up to 37 cinemas.”
Even the movie star Shaan Shahid lamented that there were no films to direct the movie theaters.
Only two Pakistani films, Consent and Guru of loveThis eid is being thrown.
In the list of the 11 main Pakistani films with greater collection within local cinemas, there were four films in 2018 and two in 2022 but none later, indicating the reduced flow of quality content.
At the same time, the affordability and diversity offered by the exaggerated services (OTT) have increasingly moved away the public from the cinemas.
In Shaan’s words: “Cinema is perhaps obsessed, but not the content. Good films are always the result of a good content.”
He says that no attention to cinema has been paid over the years. “Young filmmakers should have had a chance and they must be financed to create films that have a good content. [In such case] The cinema atmosphere cannot be replaced with social media platforms. “
OTTS growth
However, the transmission has already globalized the Pakistani content, with a simple dil, dil-nadan, Churails, Rukhsaar, Aik Jhoti Love Story and Barzakh winning ground in the Middle East, India and between the diaspora.
Jo Bachay Hain of Netflix sang Samait Lo, starring Fawad Khan and Sanam Saeed, is scheduled by the end of this year, indicating a jump in international visibility.
Creative freedom and affordability are the main reasons for the growth of OTT platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Zee5 and IFLIX, attracting not only the public but also to artists away from conventional cinema in Pakistan, who has fought to evolve beyond the stories formulated due to cultural or commercial limitations.
The film producer Kanwal Khoosat says: “local and international are two different scenarios when it comes to films. It seems that US cinema has become outdated, while Ott for its reach and visibility is one of the essential elements, but it is a wrong idea.”
In Europe, he said, it is considered derogatory to detect films in OTT. “In Pakistan we have no diplomacy with [such] Platforms, we must trust our own cinema for its revival. Unfortunately, cinema is no longer an entertainment for common man; Modern movie theaters are for the elite. “
Government Support, Rate Court
However, Yasir Nawaz, an outstanding director and producer, said that the cinema was experiencing a fall worldwide. He said that OTT or AI were not the problem, which matters for the Renaissance of cinema was the “great government support” and “rates cut by exhibitors and distributors.”
He said that strategies had not been established to revive the industry. “The expensive film rooms led to a lower purchase of tickets,” he said, adding that they even offered discounts.
The outstanding film director Nadeem Baig, who directed films such as Punjab Nahi Jaoon Gi and Jawani Phir Nahi AaniHe said that OTT platforms gave competition, but cinema could only be revived when filmmakers produced around 12 films a year.
He said the government’s support was vital. “It is good that the Punjab and Sindh governments have realized that the expense in the cinema is important,” he said.
Humayun Saeed believes that OTT platforms cannot affect the cinema, stating that they could not create the effect that the cinema had. But industry’s revival depended on the supply chain and government support, he said. The production of more and more diverse films was the mantra, he said.
Tutorial
For veteran actor Nayyer Ejaz, the improved content is key to reviving cinema. “Why is OTT considered in the front line? Because they choose the best and different content,” he said. Government sponsorship is important, but young writers must learn a script from the elderly, he said, adding that the industry also needed to adopt modern techniques.
The film writer Pervaiz Kalim was of the opinion that young filmmakers could help revive cinema, while underlines the need to advise treasury filmmakers by older people to boost film production.
If the Pakistani content can obtain prizes and nominations at international film festivals, there is no shortage of talent or shortage of original content.
Actor Wahaj Ali, however, believes that Ott and AI had nothing to do with the Renaissance of cinema. “We need to improve our productions. Pakistani dramas have a large international audience. If producers adequately invest in films without fear of recovery, quality films can occur.”
The scriptwriter, actor and host Vasay Chaudhry also believes that OTT or any other social media platform could not replace the cinema. “The popularity of cinema simply cannot be replaced,” he reiterated. People used to say after Covid that the cinema would not survive, but many films were screened, he said.
However, many film enthusiasts question whether our well -known filmmakers, artists, distributors and exhibitors are prepared to assume the challenge, adopt innovation and perfect the potential of young minds experts in technology or even in the mode of denial, resorting to blaming the game and waiting for external help to convert the tide.
In fact, when the brightest minds are empowered with the experience of yesteryear and the tools of tomorrow, miracles can occur.
Hassan Sheerazi in Karachi also contributed to this report
Posted in Dawn, June 7, 2025
Image of heading: With only two local films, the love Guru and Demak, due to its launch this eid, enthusiasts ask why the industry does not adopt modern tools and youth thought. – Instagram/Deemak
