Al Khor residents seek affordable movie hall in town

By Ramesh Mathew/Staff ReporterClose on the heels of the opening of a cinema complex in Doha’s Industrial Area, calls for a similar facility have come from residents of Al Khor.Over the years, Al Khor has grown considerably and the local population has recorded a nearly three-fold increase in less than a decade, thanks to the influx of a large workforce for major projects in and around Al Khor and Ras Laffan Industrial City.Al Khor and Ras Laffan together reportedly house between 400,000 and 500,000 residents these days, mainly expatriates.However, most expatriates living in Al Khor, other than those who stay in the exclusive residential compounds of major companies, are bachelors who have no options for entertainment locally. “Many of us go to Doha during weekends just to while away our time. However, there is no affordable cinema there for people with limited income, such as myself,” said Avtar, who works as a driver with a construction firm.Echoing Avtar’s views, Salim, a youth who works in an industrial unit and travels to Doha on weekends with friends to fulfil his entertainment requirements, said: “As Al Khor does not have a cinema, local film lovers have to travel all the way to Doha city or West End Park in the Industrial Area. The opening of a cinema at West End Park has come a blessing for bachelors like us as it is quite affordable,” he said, but added that the place is still far for most people coming from the northern parts of the country.Like Avtar and Salim, there are many others from who go to the new cinema at West End Park these days. However, due to the huge demand for an affordable cinematic experience, the hall remains packed on Thursday evenings and Fridays and those coming from distant places are finding it increasingly difficult to get tickets. “Even if we leave our camps earlier than usual, there are chances of getting caught in traffic at some place or the other in Doha,” said Mujeeb Rahman, who works for a galvanising firm in Al Khor.The main attraction of the new cinema at West End Park is its nominally priced tickets. As a result, a number of middle-class families are also said to be patronising the place in addition to low-income workers, especially during the weekends when there is a huge rush there.“What we look forward to in Al Khor is neither a multiplex nor a high-end hall. We would be happy if a moderately priced cinema, where we can watch movies at intervals, comes up in the town,” said a regular cinegoer from Al Khor.While a multiplex has been developed at a mall in Al Khor, operations are yet to begin there. Enquiries with its operators revealed that it is expected to open soon after the completion of some mandatory formalities. “Our hope is that at least one of the new halls in the complex will have nominally priced tickets so that people like us can watch movies,” said Rahman.