Cineplex - secure entertainment
"For a very long time, people have been shying away from cinemas. It's not because they didn't take movies as a source of entertainment but because they were actually running away from the social disorder we used to come across in our cinemas. It was then I decided to open up a multiplex for families and couples only," said Moin-ur-Rehman.

Universe Cineplex was founded in 2001 and is a modern state of the art Cineplex, housing four cinemas screens. The facility has been designed by overseas interior planners and designers keeping in mind all aspects of modern cinemas that is proper seating, air-conditioning, projection and sound.

Along with that, Moin also paid special attention towards security of the place. There are fire exits so that in case of an emergency, people can be escorted out safe and sound. Electronic security gates have also been installed for monitoring arms and weapons.

"It's the maximum we could have done otherwise in our country even Prime Ministers are not safe. Remember what happened to Shaheed Benazir Bhutto?" asks Moin. "God forbid if a suicide bomber enters Cineplex then we can't really help it. There is no answer to a suicide bomber anywhere in our country."

The whole idea was just to create an environment that is safe and secure for the families and that is an uphill task in Pakistan. And then a Cineplex was a tall order in 2001. With minimal interaction with Hollywood and Bollywood still officially banned in the country, it was a time when people thought the cinema business was over, with no scope whatsoever. It was then that Moin opened up a four cinema Cineplex in Karachi. Looking back, it doesn't seem like a wise business move. But Moin-ur-Rehman was convinced that it was.

"It's easy to say that cinema culture is dead but in reality there is no replacement for a movie theatre. In fact it remains the cheapest form of entertainment," Moin tells Instep. "And I proved all the misconceptions against cinema culture wrong. I started Universe Cineplex and people poured in to watch movies at a time when there were just one or two Hollywood movies running in our theatres."

Moin could see that many people avoided local cinema houses for lot of reasons. "There is no parking space and you have to park your car or motorbike far away from the venue," shared Moin. "Then, you don't know if your mobile phone or wallet will be snatched near the cinema or people can enter carrying weapons and no one will even know about it." He took care of this by leaving space in front of the Cineplex for an in-house parking lot that adds to the safety factor in these times of trouble. When one looks at his logic it has merit. In the final analysis, a cineplex was much-needed in Karachi and Moin-ur-Rehman was an entrepreneur who stepped up to fill that vacuum.

"Cinema houses are a thing of the past. They have been converted to multiplexes all over the world except for our country where we are still relying on single screen theatres," says Moin. "Multiplexes are a better option as they have something for the whole family. If your kids want to watch say Spiderman and you are in a mood to watch Ramchand Pakistani, you can always leave your children in our theatre and got to the next one within the premises. It's more feasible and practical."

The major plus-point of a multiplex is the variety you get there. You can put up two to three movies at the same time. Cineplex business owners are covered. If one film isn't going house full, it will be subsidized by two that are. The classic single screen cinema with over 700 seats has to fill the house to be successful and for that they need blockbusters. And for cinema goers, it is variety that they look for. It's the same reason why we prefer shopping in malls as opposed to going to single shops. Variety under one roof in always good, even when it comes to cinema.

The business of movies
It's a good omen that cinema culture has been revived in Pakistan again. Thanks to Bollywood and Hollywood movies releasing in Pakistan, we now have jam packed theatres and movie buffs waiting for their favourite movie to come on screen. But, what about the production of local films?

"There is no production and no infrastructure at all. People like Hassan Tariq, Parvaiz Malik, Riaz Shahid have long gone and some actors have taken over the industry. Currently, the people who call themselves filmmakers should be ashamed of creating such movies. They are just giving a bad name to our industry," says Moin who has very strong opinions on that subject. "The better movies that are made here can't be attributed as completely Pakistani products. The thought process and people involved are Pakistanis but the whole post production is done abroad like Khuda Kay Liye or Ramchand Pakistani."
Javed Sheikh's Yeh Dil Aapka Hua and Khulay Aasman Ke Neechay were shot in different countries and owed their post production to India. Post-production for Ramchand Pakistani was done in New York and same was the case with Khuda Kay Liye.

"It's not that we are not capable of producing good movies. We have immensely talented people in our country who can come up with great scripts, strong direction and power packed performances but the problem is who are you producing it for… the two multiplexes in Pakistan?" asked Moin. "Until and unless we have space for screenings, we can't expect our directors to churn out quality products. The directors creating quality products abstain from experimenting on the big screen because it's more investment of money and lesser possibility of people watching it."

Hollywood, Bollywood and 'Deadwood':
For some people the Bollywood penetration into our cinemas is harmful for the local industry but in actuality it is one of the biggest reasons that people have started going back to the cinema houses. If it wasn't for Race or Singh Is Kinng, our cinema culture wouldn't have revived the way it has now because we simply couldn't rely on Lollywood.

"There is no Lollywood left in our industry, it's just Deadwood," says Moin sardonically. "We can't run movies just for the sake of it being a Pakistani product. It has to be well made as well. Just imagine the hero kills 100 people with a Kalashnikov and then comes out cool and calm amongst a series of bomb blasts. Come on, people are not going to watch such a movie anymore."

However, it's not the foreign films that have affected our local business. During the music release of Javed Sheikh's Khulay Aasman Kay Neechay, the directed requested the authorities not to put up Bollywood movies in cinemas for at least two weeks after the release of any Pakistani movie so that people would go to the theatres to watch a local product. Moin completely negates this school of thought.

"You have to gear up yourself to face the competition and grow. You can't ban the rest of the world because you are doing the same business. And, if that's the case then why does Javed Sheikh act in every other Indian movie? Grow up people. You don't cry foul every time you get hurt."
In fact, the release of foreign movies in our country is a good omen as our directors will learn from them and more importantly learn to hold their own against them. The optimistic view of the situation is that our filmmakers, in quest of making money, will come up with better product with a gripping script and strong performances. Ideally, that should be the situation instead of kicking out the competition so that all rooms for improvement are shut down.

Success of Cineplex
It's easy for the people to say 'build cinemas' but in actual it's a long process that involves great amount of money and investment. Add to this, the social and economic conditions that are not really favourable with bomb blasts becoming a norm, and is the ground solid for Cineplexes be successful?

"It was a great risk for me to build a multiplex at a time when there was no Khuda Kay Liye, no Ramchand Pakistani and no Bollywood masala flicks. In fact, the import of Hollywood movies was not so fast paced either. I was crazy but I am happy that I played the gamble," says Moin. "My success doesn't lie in the money I am making through Cineplex - it lies in the fact that families drop their kids off to Cineplex and pick them up after three hours. That's what I wanted to build a cinema so that children and the parents can enjoy without the fear of being robbed or bombed."

And then there are other events too. Universe Cineplex in collaboration with schools and colleges, regularly arranges shows for students. Their usual clientele includes private colleges and because there is a variety to pick out from, the students get to watch a Hollywood movie the first time they come and a Bollywood or a Pakistani product the other time they visit.

Future plans: Cineplex in North Nazimabad
Moin-ur-Rehman plans to open another Cineplex for families in Karachi which will be bigger than the recent one and the venue he has chosen is North Nazimabad. "North Nazimabad has a tremendous family structure but they are deprived of healthy family entertainment," says Moin. "Plus, North Nazimabad is a large area itself and has adjoining populous areas so this Cineplex will be bigger with seven screens in the premises."

For Moin, Cineplex was not made to make money or because he wanted to prove himself. That was a part of the process but the main aim behind its conception was to give our families a safe and healthy environment to hangout and do something together other than eating out. And, what could be a better means of relaxation than a good movie on a big screen?