Karachi was once known as the `City of Lights` for its vibrant nightlife, bustling streets and cultural energy. With its illuminated skyline and thriving social scene, it was a city that never really slept.

Despite all its problems, Karachi was a hub of art, music and entertainment, with its late-night cafes, theatres and cinemas that brought the city to vibrant `life`.

A poem, containing names of over 20 now defunct single-screen cinema houses in the city, is circulating online these days. The 24 names might mean little to millennials or Gen Z, but hold immense significance for those who still remember them. The poem evokes nostalgia for old movie theatres that once acted as community gathering spots for shared cultural experiences.

The smell of printer`s ink fresh on ticket stubs, the watchful eyes of black marketeers selling tickets for a few extra bucks, the aroma of fresh snacks, and the sounds of vendors offering cold drinks, popcorn and ice cream are deeply embedded in the memory of older folks and still missed by many, even those who now frequent the multiplexes across the city.

Written somewhere around the early `60s, the Urdu poem was published in a magazine back then, praising the cultural happenings in the then capital city. The first line mentions a certain Capitol Cinema, which takes the reader of over 50 years on a journey back in time. I recall a fine evening in 2012, when a very senior colleague asked 2 me to drop him off near `Capitol`. A well known landmark in the `60s, not many know that Capitol Cinema once stood where Karim Centre in Saddar is today.

Many remember the theatre for the Roman chariots made out of plaster of Paris, which were displayed outside at the time of the screening of Charlton Heston`s Ben-Hur.

Also close to Capitol was Paradise Cinema, another theatre that used to screen English and Urdu films. It was the theatre that screened Nadeem`s Chakori (1967), while the Muhammad Ali-Babra Sharif film Salakhain (1977) was the last movie to be screened there.

Staying in Saddar, there were Rex, Odeon, Regal and Rio cinemas as well. Regal was one of those 20 cinemas which were there in Karachi around the time of Partition.

Dilip Kumar and Noor Jehan`s Jugnu (1947) completed its Silver Jubilee here, while it was also the main theatre for Waheed Murad`s debut Punjabi film Mas tana Mahi (1971).

Odeon was the cinema where many remember watching South Asia`s first colour film, Aan (1951), in which Dilip Kumar could be seen swashbuckling with Prem Nath.

Zarqa (1969), Pakistan`s first Urdu Diamond Jubilee film, was released here, along with Khatarnak (1974), the only Punjabi film to date that completed a Diamond Jubilee in Karachi. Both starred Neelo, film star Shaan`s mother, in the lead, connecting the dots to where Shaan inherited his legacy of `ruling the box office` from.

Rex sometimes screened X-rated movies, which is why it was associated with a similar censorship-worthy word. Rio Cinema is now a memory, embodied in the shape of Rio Centre, while Palace Cinema, a few hundred yards away, remains a source of nostalgia for many. With 250 seats on just a single floor, it felt like one was entering a real palace. It mostly screened English classics and, sometimes, the Hong Kong-made action films of Bruce Lee.

The Exorcist (1973) was a big hit at Palace,despite being from the horror genre.

Taj Mahal, Naz and Nishat were a little further away on Bunder Road (M.A. Jinnah Road). Taj Mahal was just opposite Radio Pakistan, and had the office of Rashid Mukhtar, the producer of Tauba (1964), Andaleeb (1969) and Mere Humsafar (1972).

Before venturing into film production, Mukhtar was busy distributing films by the `A`-list director Anwar Kamal Pasha.

Naz and Nishat were a little farther away.

Both were being constructed as Radha and Krishna (the names of the children of the owner) at the time of Partition, but were allotted to Muslims after the creation of Pakistan. Nisar Murad, Waheed Murad`s father, had his office in Naz, while it was the main theatre for the many films of his son.

Nishat was renovated in 1972, and began screening English language films after 25 years, the first being Samson and Delilah.

A little further down the road, Eroze and Qaisar cinemas stood opposite each other on the former Waheed Murad Road. Qaisar opened with the Sabiha-Sudhir film Toofan (1955), and later showcased Basheera (1972), the film that helped shape Sultan Rahi`s career. Eroze, known for its elegant design, opened with Baabul (1950), starring Nargis and Dilip Kumar.

Empire Cinema, located near Ranchhore Lines, had the honour of screening Pakistan`s first-ever film, Teri Yaad (1948).

The most famous cinema in the area, however, was Jubilee Cinema, which once stood where Jubilee Market is now.

The former Napier Road was also home to some famous cinemas and was once a bustling area where many Hindus resided. Bollywood director and producer Ramesh Sippy, the man who made Sholay (1975), was born here in 1947. In the cinemas list, Noor Mahal was the first in line, with Super followed by three `mystery` cinemas on which old-timers still can`t agree Kumar, Roxy and Nigar which one was the oldest one in the city. All of them were there at the time of Partition.

Another area with numerous cinemas was the Liaquatabad-Nazimabad region.

Nairang and Firdous stood opposite each other, serving the needs of the residents of Liaquatabad aka Laloo Khet. In Nazimabad, once considered a suburb of Karachi, there were cinemas such as Relax, Liberty, Shalimar and Nayab during the `60s.

The prominent names in the poem include Picture at Lighthouse and Chaman on Manghopir Road. Some might argue that cinemas such as Prince, Capri, Bambino, Arshi and Khayyam are missing from the list, but it`s important to note that none of these cinemas existed before 1965. The line `Sabiha ko Santosh chhairray ga aaj` [Santosh will tease Sabiha today] from the poem makes it evident that it was written in the prime of the actors` careers.

Things started to change after 1965, first for the good and later for the worst. After the Indo-Pak War and the official banning of Indian films, cinema culture in Pakistan initially flourished. Over a hundred films were released countrywide and, by the mid1970s, the city boasted nearly 100 cinemas.

However, the lack of competition and the advent of new technology caught up with the protected cinema industry.

The downfall of the liberal ZAB government and the `Islamisation` policies of Gen Ziaul Haq compounded things. Strict censor policies and the VCR invasion, which provided alternatives to watching films, especially pirated Indian and English films in the cinemas, harmed the film industry further. Many cinema houses were sold and turned into shopping centres.

Producers left the business and some even moved abroad. Many directors moved to TV by the mid-90s and Pakistani cinema died a gradual death. A couple of decades later, the establishment of flashy multiplexes sounded a further death knell for the remaining dilapidated and struggling single screen cinemas.

None of the cinemas mentioned in the poem now exist in Karachi. They can only be found on paper and in poems such as the one now circulating.