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      More about Ahmad Golchin

      Golchin has worn many hats in his life, some more nefarious than others, but it is his legacy in the UAE that has changed the landscape of theatrical entertainment in the country over the past 57 years. “When I arrived in Dubai in 1964, there was only one cinema in Al Nasser Square.” A ticket would cost Rs2 and films would only be shown at night.”
      The cinema he describes is a far cry from the multiplexes that dot the UAE today, some of which were founded by Golchin himself. A plot of land with four mud walls served as the foundation for Dubai’s ‘cinema’ at the time. After a long day at work, many people chose to sit in the open-air theatre’s wooden seats, while others chose to park themselves on the sand.
      Golchin quickly realized that there was a thirst for entertainment in the UAE. With no local newspapers and few televisions, cinemas became the one indulgence on which people were willing to spend their savings, and the enterprising mind was prepared with a film that had traveled with him across the Hormuz Strait.
      “I took over National Cinema, and every night after the film had played, I would go down to the audience and ask them if they liked the film.” If they said yes, I’d either repeat the show or find something else to screen the following day,” Golchin adds.
      In 1970, Golchin’s business had grown sufficiently for him to travel to Cannes and Milan to meet directly with film buyers, securing enough investment a year later to establish a profitable film distribution business with international markets.
      Golchin took over Deira Cinema in a short period of time and led the roll-out of other popular independent theatres in the country, including the ever-popular Al Nasr Cinema, which remains a fond memory for many long-term residents of Dubai.
      “We didn’t have a way to advertise our films, so we’d hang hoardings on the abra or have a man wear a plywood around his neck — the front board would state film timings for the day, the back board advertised the next day,” Golchin laughs. However, the town crier soon got him in trouble with the municipality, and hoardings were placed throughout the city to inform Dubai that the best of Bollywood was screening at a cinema near them.
      By the year 2000, Golchin was becoming dissatisfied with the country’s lack of showcasers and the need for more screens. “It was time to bring multiplexes here, so we laid the groundwork for Grand Cinemas, the region’s first of its kind,” he says.
      As multiplexes became more popular, Golchin’s theatres opened in most of the major malls in the UAE at the time. “I recall Nakheel approaching us for screen space when Ibn Battuta Mall was being planned.” They inquired as to the number of screens we were looking for. 44, I said. “We eventually agreed on 21 screens, including the country’s first IMAX,” Golchin says.
      Golchin is still working after more than a decade and is only a few months away from turning 80. “I am very proud of everything I have accomplished.” However, there is still much work to be done. I always feel as if I know nothing and have accomplished nothing. “I’m still young and have many more dreams to fulfill, so you’ll just have to wait and see,” he laughs.