Through the lens: Is Kashmir film-friendly? Here’s what filmmakers say

Hyderabad: Indian cinema is all about love. Audiences love not just the cinema but also the love stories that these movies tell. It is these films that give hope to hopeless romantics. These beautiful love stories make people believe in love. But these stories cannot be told without some drama, music, and visuals because they add soul to the film, and songs are incomplete without picturesque locations.

Kashmir to Kanyakumari

As we spend two and a half hours watching a film, we are taken on a journey from Kashmir to Kanyakumari through the visuals. Many such locations are quite popular to date. Thanks to cinema!

Not many know that by shooting in these beautiful locations, cinema is promoting tourism across the country. In other words, cinema and tourism always go hand in hand.

At the recently-held G20 Summit in Kashmir, the Indian government tried to sell Kashmir again for film shootings, but it remains to be seen whether there will be any takers. The Government of India is trying to sell Kashmir to filmmakers by offering several tempting aspects. The government has offered a number of incentives to filmmakers, including a 50% subsidy on production costs, an exemption from entertainment tax, a single-window clearance system for film permits, and a dedicated film facilitation office.

Movie shootings in Kashmir

He cited how films like "Kashmir Ki Kali" romanced Kashmir in the 1960s and left a deep impression on people's minds. Its delightful numbers sung by legendary singer Mohammed Rafi, are still in the consciousness of people and are often the subject of popular remixes.

Union Tourism Secretary Singh said in Pehelgam a valley got dubbed as 'Betaab Valley' after the famous film "Betaab" (1983) was shot there. The movie of the romance genre was Sunny Deol's debut film.

In the 1964 film "Kashmir Ki Kali", Sharmila Tagore plays the role of a Kashmiri woman and cinema lovers still recall her cine avatar in traditional Kashmiri attire. Directed by Shakti Samanta with music by O P Nayyar, the opening credits of the film offers natural vignettes of the Valley in the background.

Between 1960-1990, a number of films were shot in Kashmir before militancy reared its ugly head.

However, in the last few years, tourism has picked up again in Jammu and Kashmir, and the local Union territory administration has also brought out a film policy to incentivise film shooting there.

Single-window cell for shooting films

The government of Jammu and Kashmir is trying to make the best possible efforts towards the creation of a vibrant film ecosystem in the UT, says the website of the J&K Film Policy 2021.

The steps taken to create a suitable environment and promotion of film production in Jammu and Kashmir, include "administrative assistance to ease film making in Jammu & Kashmir by setting up a single-window cell to grant permission for shooting films, preferably within 2-4 weeks", it says.

Other films shot in Kashmir in the last few years include "Haider", "The Kashmir Files", "Highway", "Raazi", "Fitoor" and "Notebook".

What doesn’t work?

However, there are a number of challenges that filmmakers may face when shooting in Kashmir, including security concerns, logistical challenges, and the cost of living. Besides these, a dedicated film facilitation cell to help producers with all aspects of film production in Kashmir.

The government is also hoping to attract international film productions to Kashmir by offering them the same incentives. So far, there have been several Bollywood films that have been shot in Kashmir since the government announced its new film policy in 2020.

Talking to NewsMeter about the challenges faced by production managers, Madhusudhan Reddy, a senior production manager, said, “For any film, there will be not less than 200 people in the cast and crew. There are no trains from Hyderabad to Kashmir. The producer has to book flight tickets for everyone. Safety is important. Taking police permission to shoot and finding local managers for help is not impossible but a herculean task. Landslides, religious issues, and snowstorms are quite common in those areas and when directors want snow, making sure nothing goes wrong is beyond impossible. Shooting in Kashmir is risky in several ways.”

He added that local hotels will increase the charges for the crew and they will be left with no choice.

The positives

Despite these challenges, there are several reasons why filmmakers might want to shoot in Kashmir. The region has stunning scenery, and it can provide a backdrop for different types of films. It remains to be seen whether the government’s efforts to promote film tourism in Kashmir will be successful. However, the region has a lot to offer filmmakers, and more productions may be shot in Kashmir in the future.

Despite these challenges, the government is confident that Kashmir can be a successful film shooting destination. Here are some of the reasons why the government is trying to sell Kashmir to filmmakers:

Tourism: Kashmir is a popular tourist destination, and the government hopes that film crews will help to promote tourism in the region.

Economic development: Film production can create jobs and boost the economy in Kashmir.

Soft power: The government hopes that films shot in Kashmir will help to improve India’s image abroad.

It is still too early to say whether the government’s efforts will be successful. However, the government has taken some positive steps to make Kashmir a more attractive film-shooting destination.