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!!
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