Over 57 years, Golchin has changed the theatrical landscape of the UAE with his movies. Golchin has worn many hats in his lifetime, some more nefarious than others, but it’s his legacy laid down in the UAE over the past 57 years that has changed the landscape of theatrical entertainment in the country. We sit with the legend to talk about his life and how cinemas in the UAE evolved over the last 50 years.
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#UAEnews #cinemas #movies
Read the full story here: https://bit.ly/37dq04c
See more videos at https://gulfnews.com/videos
Read more Gulf News stories here: https://bit.ly/2HLJ2km
Subscribe to Gulf News on YouTube and watch more of our videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/GulfNewsTV
#UAEnews #cinemas #movies
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NewsTranscript
00:00It started that time was Pepsi, not Kool-Aid.
00:03Pepsi was glass, and sometime the film was,
00:06sometime the film was, you know,
00:08sometime some scene was not good for them.
00:12They put Pepsi, Kool-Aid, put in the screen.
00:16So we tried to make it plastic after that.
00:20My father was religious, and cinema was forbidden.
00:27I tried to survive.
00:28Then I went and started religious,
00:30selling religious book, but going to cinema
00:33by profit of that.
00:34There was American Grenade,
00:36it was James Hartley Chase from UK.
00:39I checked the book, the book was the name,
00:42American Grenade, literally interested.
00:45You know, because maybe some policy action, something.
00:48So I started reading that,
00:49and I find it unbelievable stories.
00:52And I was dreaming this book, I should print it,
00:56the books, and I make it my way,
00:58montage from the foreign magazine.
01:00That books, automatically some bookshops,
01:05they went and they were asking about my address.
01:10That's why I offered.
01:12I offered maybe, you know, in danger,
01:14so I tried to escape.
01:15I came 1964 from other side of the border,
01:20by boat they brought me this side,
01:22with other six, seven people,
01:24which they were also running from Iran.
01:26There was cinema also in the night,
01:27I was going in the night watching movie,
01:29two rupee was paying and watching movie.
01:31In 1950s, that Abdul Rahman Alavi from,
01:34came from Bahrain, he went to Sheikh Rashid,
01:36he said, I want to make cinema,
01:38Sheikh Rashid, cinema in our religious is forbidden.
01:42He said, not for Muslim, we are talking about for,
01:46this one, tourists coming.
01:47He said, oh, tourists coming, go make.
01:49Then I went to Abu Dhabi, I found there is no cinema.
01:51But here only there is cinema.
01:53I tried here, I got it,
01:56there is entertainment here.
01:57I studied this country, there is people,
01:59they want entertainment in the night.
02:01Handy movie was very popular,
02:03English picture was bringing,
02:04but there was nobody coming.
02:06When I started the board, and I make money,
02:09then after that passport,
02:11in essence I go, which was planning to go Australia,
02:13or go to America, or go to Canada.
02:16This was my plan.
02:18I was seeing Sheikh Rashid also coming,
02:20I find out this leader,
02:22it is something unbelievable,
02:25coming and going sometime to this textile shop,
02:30which I was going, talking with them.
02:32He said, come into my shop.
02:33Suddenly coming, he said, can I have one tea there?
02:37Sheikh Rashid coming and saying one tea.
02:39He said, come please, that's it.
02:41He said, asking me how is going things,
02:43and how much bringing, how much making money,
02:45are you happy here?
02:46So these things, automatically I found out,
02:49he's also like me, looking for future of Dubai.
02:53National Cinema in end of 50s and 50s,
02:55the guy from Bahrain came and make it,
02:58and it was in Nasser Esqued side of Jaisalmal.
03:03And it was in traders there,
03:05in the night I was showing movie,
03:07in the morning I was going getting my cash money.
03:09First movie was 1964,
03:11this was the idea was in my mind,
03:14to make it first film,
03:15and 1967 was registered.
03:18Registered, and then 1969 I got Laysan.
03:21Only National Cinema was there,
03:23after that was Al Ain, they make cinema out of city.
03:27Al Ain Cinema used to go from here,
03:30take about three, four movies,
03:32and go to Abu Dhabi,
03:33or via Abu Dhabi go to Al Ain,
03:35a screen stay in my one friend traders,
03:39stay in his home,
03:40and a screen, it was out of city,
03:41Al Ain Cinema opener.
03:43Also demolished.
03:44My experience in the life,
03:46when I was publisher, always viewing,
03:48you know I was, I became very big publisher.
03:51Then when I came here,
03:52started the movie business,
03:53it was continued of that publishing,
03:56the adventure picture.
03:58So that time I was viewing,
04:00the things is good,
04:01because always I was viewing.
04:03For example, the first cinema as you mentioned,
04:06there was National Cinema.
04:08After that automatically I opened cinema
04:09in Ras Al Khaimah also,
04:10Ras Al Khaimah Cinema.
04:12I opened cinema in Ajman,
04:14it was Royal Cinema.
04:15Then after that,
04:17the first air conditioned cinema,
04:19they opened in Dubai,
04:20because opener cinema.
04:22Because we opened Dubai Cinema,
04:24then opened Al Shab Cinema,
04:25and we were running thereafter.
04:27And then the first air conditioned cinema
04:30was by Haroon.
04:32Haroon make air conditioned,
04:33their cinema.
04:34Haroon give it to me,
04:35I was running.
04:36Then after that,
04:38I arranged Al Nasser Cinema,
04:41the first Dolby Studio Cinema in Dubai.
04:44Then open in,
04:46I got this Al Maria Cinema in Abu Dhabi.
04:49Then National Cinema,
04:50I arranged National Cinema,
04:51it was two cinema.
04:52Then after that,
04:53demolished the building,
04:54make it four cinema.
04:55Still I have that four cinema.
04:56The first 12 screen,
04:58I made it in Middle East.
05:00Grand Cinema.
05:01Grand means Gulshan and Ramia,
05:03my partner.
05:04Grand Cinema in Bardo Bay,
05:08Grand Hayat.
05:08Still I want to do it bigger and bigger.
05:11I was planning to put 44 screen,
05:13because when I started in Ibn Battuta,
05:15Ibn Battuta was garden city.
05:17They invite me after Al Gorer,
05:19they invite me in this Nakhil.
05:21Nakhil invite,
05:22they said,
05:23we want to make a cinema there,
05:24in garden, garden city.
05:27Garden city,
05:27after that they changed it to Ibn Battuta.
05:29They asked me,
05:30I am asking how many screen you want to put?
05:33I told him,
05:34how many you think?
05:35He said,
05:36this is 12 to 14.
05:38And asked me,
05:39what is your idea?
05:40I said 21.
05:42Second time ask me,
05:43why 21?
05:44I said,
05:4521 is my lucky,
05:46I know future needed this 21.
05:48Then I started Deira Cinema,
05:50then I came to know Deira Cinema.
05:51In the morning,
05:52I can bring other character,
05:53Dubai coming,
05:54other characters.
05:55There is Malayalam,
05:56Tamil, Telugu,
05:57Canary,
05:59and there is Chinese.
06:00Then I started bringing Malayalam picture,
06:02I changed the poster,
06:03nice poster,
06:04I bring Arabs also do Malayalam picture.
06:06It started that time was Pepsi,
06:08not Cola.
06:09Pepsi was glass,
06:10and sometime the film was,
06:12sometime the film was,
06:14you know,
06:14sometime some scene was not good for them.
06:18They put Pepsi Cola,
06:19put in the screen.
06:22So we try to make it plastic,
06:25after that.
06:26Always I am feeling,
06:27you know,
06:28you know,
06:29still I know nothing,
06:30I did nothing.