Re: Khuda Ke Lie – box office response and predictions
A sold-out DHA cinema launch today
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/images/2007/07/20/20070720_e08.jpg
** Tickets and advanced seat booking would be available online*
LAHORE: Defence Housing Authority (DHA) auditorium, which was recently converted into a cinema hall, will officially launch today (Friday) and would play two movies, “Die Hard 4” and “Khuda Kay Liye”.
The auditorium was converted into a cinema hall to privilege DHA residents mainly. The cinema will work in collaboration with Mandviwalla Entertainment.
A DHA official said that DHA would use the cinema to hold functions whenever necessary. He said the hall where “Khuda Kay Liye” was being played, had been booked for the night show for today (Friday) by an organisation. He said there would be four shows everyday and three shows on Fridays. DHA secretary Col Aamir Ayub told Daily Times that everyone who wanted to go to the cinema would have to go through a security clearance process whether locals or foreigners.
When asked about the closing down of around 1,000 cinemas, he said even in the time of cinema-downfall, DHA had launched a new cinema and would play good movies, and the doom seen by the flopped cinemas was probably due to screening movies that were not by popular demand.
He added that the DHA cinema would only play movies that were made in good taste.
He said DHA aimed at commercialising the cinema and for this purpose, DHA had introduced ticket booking on its website, where people who wanted to buy tickets or book seats could do so online.
He said the ticket was priced at Rs 250, which was much higher than the going rate, because DHA aimed at targeting the upper class and the upper-middle class. He said the lower classes misused the cinema furniture and therefore, the cinema targeted a more sophisticated audience.
He said the sound systems installed by the cinema would also be an attraction for viewers as the Dolby System and Digital Theatre System (DTS) had been imported from the United States. He said the projector was imported from Germany.
Manager of the DHA cinema Aamir S Haider told Daily Times that the cinema had a capacity of 450 people and a restaurant was also set up in the premises. He said the cinema had great security measures, as the close circuit system (CCS) was installed and it could hold records of two months.
Usama Bin Khalil, a ticket-buyer at the cinema who was waiting in line, said that he loved watching movies because it was benign fun and very informative at the same time. Sameeta, a student of the Defence Public School, said the cinema was a great venture by the DHA and that such efforts would be very warmly welcomed as it was an addition to the very few platforms available for the young to utilise their energies in a neutral if not a positive manner.
Babar Ali, another ticket-buyer, said a cinema hall was not a place to catch up on gossip or the latest updates, but people seemed to believe so. He said movie watching was his passion and he had watch movies in many cinemas, but was not happy with people’s ethics on movie watching. He said it was very disturbing when people talked, yelled and commented aloud during a movie. He hoped the DHA authorities would make sure that no such botheration was encountered in their cinema. abdul manan
