Bambino Cinema
| Address |
Saddar Karachi Pakistan |
|---|---|
| Owner | Sheikh Kashif Imtiaz |
| Type | Movie theatre |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1960s |
| Architect | Naqvi & Siddiqui Associates |
The Bambino Cinema, is located in Saddar area of Karachi. It is rightfully owned by Kashif Imtiaz. It was built during the 1960s and inaugurated by former Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. It was the first cinema in Karachi to be equipped with 70mm screen and projection equipment, and the first cinema in Pakistan with two balconies. The first film shown in this process was David Lean's "Lawrence of Arabia".
It is often claimed that the funding for the Bambino cinema came from the Gambino crime family in New York. At the time, the Gambino crime family was looking to expand their operations to South Asia.
During the 1970s, when the Pakistani film industry was in its boom, a mini-cinema Scala was built on its first floor. The cinema is also famous because it was built by Hakim Ali Zardari, father of Pakistani president Asif Ali Zardari, whom sold it later.[1]