
Beauty of Kashmir fascinates Bollywood filmmakers
Mesmerised by its natural beauty, a group of Bollywood film producers, who were on a trip to Kashmir, have expressed their desire to shoot their upcoming films in the Valley.
A 24-member delegation representing most of the big banners of Bollywood visited Gulmarg to explore locations for film shoots. The delegation also took a tour of Pahalgam where popular film Betabwas shot and also saw the facilities at Pahalgam Club.
Speaking to the media, the delegates said that Kashmir can easily be an international film shooting destination.
Film producer Aashish Singh, who has already shot movies like Jab Tak Hai Jaan in Kashmir, said the Valley provides a perfect backdrop for the filmmakers and has the potential of becoming the shooting destination for the world.
“We have so much potential here for filmmaking that not only Bollywood, but filmmakers from around the globe can shoot here,” Singh said.
He added that many filmmakers want to visit Kashmir and capture its breathtaking visuals. Singh also said that the connection between Bollywood and Kashmir is very old and will be long lasting.
The CEO of the Producers Guild, Nitin Ahuja, said they want to revive the old relations with Kashmir when the Valley used to be the favourite backdrop for the filmmakers.
“We visited several locations and found them absolutely stunning. We also got overwhelming responses from the locals. The food is also amazing. The place is a complete package,” he said.
The CEO of Ajay Devgn Productions, Meena Ayer, also praised the beauty of Kashmir and said the Valley possesses huge scope for film tourism which needs to be tapped.
The Bollywood producers also held a series of interactions with the local travel and hospitality sector, line producers and artistes in Srinagar and Pahalgam and assured them that they would utilise their services in their upcoming films to be shot in Kashmir.
There was a time when Kashmir was the favourite destination of Bollywood filmmakers and the present government at the Centre is trying to bring Bollywood filmmakers back to the Valley to shoot movies.
Sanjeev Kapoor, popular chef and the host of the famous cooking show ‘Khana Khazana’, said that Kashmir can also be promoted for food tourism.
He said Kashmir is among the top three exotic food destinations in India. “I have tasted Kashmiri exotic food and will promote it throughout the world. There is a need of having a national campaign to promote Kashmir’s delicious food,” he said.
(Source: IANS)