Fox Drive In cinema ticket!!

     This must be in the early 1970s!!

Lotus (formerly Naaz ) Cinema, Mombasa closes down Dec 2001!!

 As Mombasa gets City Status in January 2002, (Lotus) Cinema, closes down!!

interesting history!

President Moi visits Mombasa in his last year, and gives Mombasa City status. Later in his trip he also visits Leisure Lodge for lunch on the north coast! (see Coastweek excerpts below)

Meanwhile the last movie to play at the beloved Naaz Cinema (renamed Lotus Cinema) is Kabhi Kushi Kabhie Gham which plays simultaneously with Kenya Cinema, that is before Mombasa patrons can get a pirated DVD for home viewing!

While you could get away with paying Ksh 120 for a seat in the stalls in Lotus or Kenya cinemas, you would have had to pay Ksh 250 to watch Harry Potter at the new Nyali Cinemax! (see Coastweek excerpts below).

Or you could have just sat home and watched a Bollywood classic on Zee TV (see below)!

Regal Cinema photo

 

A Kenya Bus Service bus in front of Regal Cinema, Salim Road, Mombasa

Kenya Film Corporation Mr. J K Mutua opens LOTUS (previously NAAZ) Cinema, Mombasa on Dec 30th 1983

 

Interesting history!

The popular NAAZ Cinema, Mombasa closed in early September 1983!! The September 1983 Coastweek advert (see the newspaper clipping at the bottom), describes the Naaz Cinema as being under renovation. 

Naaz Cinema was sold to a partnership that included the well known photographer Kamal Sabharwal, (see copy of Coastweek below). You may remember that in the 1970s Kamal was lost in Tsavo when a small plane crashed in the Tsavo National Park!

The cinema reopened at the end of 1983 as the LOTUS cinema! 

The timing of the purchase was somewhat terrible as by 1984 VHS started encroaching the box office numbers. The disappearance of Regal by the end of 1985 cushioned the declining attendance.

I dropped by to view an action movie one Saturday afternoon 3pm show in late 1987. There were lots of movie patrons in the balcony. The book keeper Suleiman was long gone. His replacement was Bashir who some may remember was one of the book keepers at the Regal Theatre!

By around 2001 or so LOTUS closed operations and the property was sold to Kenyatta College!!

Prince Aly Khan drops by the Regal Theatre Mombasa 1940s

 The photo on the right shows Prince Aly Khan meeting with Shamshu Hussein one of the owners of Regal Theatre Mombasa. The photo was taken at the old Meru Rd entrance.

On this anniversary of D-Day June 6th 1944 it is interesting to note Prince Aly Khan participated in the Allied landing in the south of France with the United States Seventh Army, serving as a liaison officer with the rank of captain. For this, he was made an officer in the Legion of Honour in 1950. He was also awarded the Croix de Guerre and the United States Bronze Star Medal!!