When I landed in Dubai, there was just one cinema hall: Expat of 57 years

Dubai - Ahmad Golchin, founder and CEO of Phars Films Group, has lived a life like ‘it’s in the movies’.

Over the last 50 years, the cinema viewing experience in the UAE has undergone a transformative change.

Film fans seeking the ultimate VIP experience can sink into plush reclining leather seats and call on their butler to bring them gourmet treats while being transported into worlds of fantasy and drama. All this while enjoying high impact high-ultra surround sound and visuals, sometimes in a 3D, 4DX, and 5D viewing experience.

In the 1960s, however, things were immeasurably different from how it is today. “When I arrived here, there was only one in Dubai – the National Cinema in Nasr Square. The open-air cinema was located next to a cemetery. The public had very little expectation from cinemas back then. All that was needed was a large wall painted white and a projector,” said Ahmad Golchin, the founder and CEO of Phars Film Group. “People sat on rows of seats, usually plastic and metal storage crates for soft drinks or oil, and watched the movies. The drink was complimentary,” he said.

“Few of those old open-air cinemas exist anymore. They have all been demolished to make way for development, and I’ve been fortunate enough to be part of and witness that evolution,” said Golchin.

Those in the industry credit the 79-year-old who has been a UAE resident for 57 years as the founding father of UAE’s cinema industry. He arrived on UAE shores on board a launch (boat) from Iran in 1964 carrying a copy of a Persian dubbed Mexican film ‘Fight to Death’. Since then, he has built the largest and most successful film empire in the Middle East.

“My destiny was in the UAE, and if it weren’t for the vision of the UAE rulers, none of this would be possible,” Golchin said while pointing to the sprawling skyline outside his office in Business Bay.

Golchin’s partnerships and investments span the region and operate in distribution, exhibition, and post-production of cinema, including media, hospitality, property development and management.

His partner in the real estate business Navid Hamedi, calls Golchin a workaholic. “He was distraught when he heard about the week-long holiday for Eid this year. He lives to work,” said Hamedi. “Every morning, at 5.30 am, he swims for two to three hours at Kite Beach. That’s how he stays sharp,” he added.

Humble beginnings

Golchin said he was born into a religious family in 1942, and his mother was his father’s third wife. “My father was an extremely religious man. Cinema or any entertainment was prohibited for us,” he said. “In the fifth year of my school, my father left my mother. We were left to fend for ourselves,” he added.

During his growing years, Golchin made money by selling novels and other books on famous streets in Tehran. He would use the funds to support his mother and watch movies whenever he found time.

“I’ve always been a dreamer, and I loved movies and entertainment,” he said. “Back then, the books came without any covers or branding. When I was 14, I figured the books would sell better if they had some attractive covers. I used my flair for art and designed my very first cover for the book ‘American Grenade’ by Alan Gratz. I even re-named the title and called it ‘Six steps to death’ instead,” he said.

Since copyright and publishing rights weren’t set in stone in the early ’50s, Golchin could translate various English novels into Farsi and brand them in attractive packaging. In a matter of years, he became a publisher. “I published 140 books during that time,” he said. In the ’60s, after Golchin published a French novel about the war in Vietnam, he ran into trouble with Iranian authorities during that time.

‘Chance arrival in UAE’

“I had to flee the country after that. With little money in hand, I left Iran and got on a launch (boat) to come to the UAE,” said Golchin.

He arrived on the shores of Ras Al Khaimah, and during his journey, his passport and money were stolen by what he suspects could’ve been his co-passengers.

“Looking back, that was the best thing that happened to me. Iran did not have an Embassy or a Consulate here back then. If you lost your documentation, you had to write a letter to the mission in Kuwait. They would send the document back to you in three to four months,” said Golchin. With time to spare and with no means of sustenance, Golchin turned his eyes to opportunities in Dubai.

In his early years in the UAE, Golchin put his artistic abilities to use once again. “I partnered with a Pakistani man here and began making coloured signboards using construction tiles for shops in Deira,” said Golchin. “I would go out in the market and sell them, and slowly, people began buying them,” he added. “With no place to live, I was sleeping on rooftops in buildings in the market in Nasr Square at night. There were very few buildings back then,” he added. “

Golchin lived in Nasr Square for 30 years, and that is where he ended up showcasing his first movie.

Foray into the world of cinema

According to Golchin, the very first movie theatre in the UAE could have been the Paramount Cinema in Sharjah. “I think it was opened in 1943, and it catered to the British services based in the Emirate,” he reminisced.

The movies that were being screened were also a testament to the nationalities of people coming to the UAE back then, said Golchin. “People wanted entertainment, and I figured, why not movies? Nasr Square had one open-air cinema – Al Wattan Cinema. Another one was in Jumeirah, and a third one was called Rex open-air cinema. We could show movies from India, Persia, Lebanon, and the prints that came back then were of inferior quality,” he said.

Tickets were sold at Rs 3 or Rs 6, the currency of that time. “The Jumeirah cinema could seat 2,400 people at a given time, and for important movies, it was houseful,” said Golchin.

dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com