KALIA, Narail — Once a lively gathering spot for moviegoers in southern Bangladesh, the Alpona cinema hall now carries a different banner. The building has been converted into a Tablighi Markaz mosque, signaling both a change of function and a wider transformation of Bangladesh’s cultural landscape.
From Town Hall to Cinema to Mosque
The site has had multiple lives. Built in the 1980s as a town hall, it was later repurposed into Alpona Cinema, entertaining audiences with Bengali and Hindi films. But by the early 2000s, the projectors went silent. Shops that had thrived nearby closed down, and the structure, overtaken by weeds and neglect, fell into disuse.
Local officials confirmed that the building, identified as vested property once owned by Hindus, had been leased for religious use. Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Rasheduzzaman explained that the cinema had not operated for nearly two decades and was eventually taken over through government procedures.
Rasheduzzaman noted that the site’s status as vested property made it vulnerable to leasing and repurposing. “The cinema hall had been abandoned for years. Under the current arrangement, it has been leased to a group linked with Tablighi Jamaat,” he said.
Celebration and Dissent
For some in the community, the conversion is celebrated as a moral revival. A local preacher welcomed the change, saying the hall would now “echo with prayers and devotion” rather than lie in decay.
Others, however, voiced dismay. Local Communist Party leader GM Barkat Ullah argued that while religious use was unsurprising, the hall could have been preserved as a cultural landmark. “A new model mosque is already under construction nearby. Retaining the cinema would have honored the district’s history,” he said.
Residents echoed similar concerns. Some argued that the Tablighi center could have been built elsewhere, while others worried about the physical safety of the aging structure. “It’s an old building, and without renovation it may not even be safe for large gatherings,” one resident remarked.
Cultural Spaces in Retreat
The closure of Alpona marks the end of cinema culture in Narail. Senior journalist Abdus Sattar recalled that the district once hosted several theaters, including Chitrabani and Shondha. “Now they’ve all vanished,” he reflected. “The disappearance of cinemas here reflects how cultural spaces across Bangladesh are shrinking.”
Bangladesh once boasted more than a thousand cinemas; today, fewer than 200 remain. Many have closed due to declining audiences, financial losses, or political and social pressures. In some cases, they have been demolished for commercial projects; in others, like Alpona, they have been absorbed into religious institutions.
The Shadow of the Vested Property Act
The reference to “vested property” also highlights a sensitive issue. The Vested Property Act, first enacted during Pakistan’s rule as the “Enemy Property Act,” allowed the state to seize assets belonging to minorities — especially Hindus — who were deemed absent or aligned with an “enemy state.”
Although Bangladesh introduced laws in 2001 to return such properties, the restitution process has been slow and incomplete. Minority leaders argue that the law has facilitated generations of dispossession. That Alpona cinema, originally linked to Hindu ownership, has now become a mosque reflects these unresolved property disputes.
Religious Influence and Radicalization
The conversion also reflects the growing reach of Islamist groups in shaping public life. Tablighi Jamaat, while officially apolitical, has expanded its network of mosques and centers across the country. Scholars argue that such transformations reduce the visibility of secular spaces and normalize the dominance of religious institutions in civic life.
Analysts also warn that the decline of cultural infrastructure, from cinemas to community halls, coincides with an environment where Islamist actors exert increasing influence — a trend that has intensified under the interim government, which critics accuse of aligning with religious hardliners.
A Broader Symbol
For residents of Kalia, the Alpona building is more than just bricks and mortar. Its conversion captures a national dilemma: the tension between preserving cultural heritage and accommodating religious expansion.
What was once a hall for cinema-goers is now a space for sermons. For some, this is renewal; for others, erasure. But almost everyone agrees that something larger is happening in Bangladesh — as secular cultural spaces continue to shrink, and religious institutions increasingly define the landscape.
