By Sheikh Imran Bashir, AIP,
Srinagar: With the arrival of summer season, many Bollywood stars have landed in Jammu and Kashmir, for shooting of their upcoming films amid the picturesque locales.
Once a favourite with Bollywood filmmakers, Kashmir had lost out after being rocked with insurgency for over 20 years. The scenic valley is, however, once again being noticed by filmmakers.
The latest film unit to land in Srinagar city is the cast and crew of Bollywood film ‘Saat Khoon Maaf’ directed by filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj.
The film’s leads, Bollywood actors Priyanka Chopra and Irrfan Khan have been busy shooting around Srinagar city.
Locals feel that Bollywood’s notice of Kashmir will help in its progress.
Shaziya, a student told Agence India Press that, this is good progress for Kashmir and its people. We will also receive some exposure and we will come to know at which level our Kashmir stands.
People, especially youths, were seen in large numbers at the shooting locations waiting to catch a glimpse of their favorite actors from a distance. Although the venues and timings of the shoots have been kept secret for security reasons, fans have kept tabs on the movement of the film crew.
Tourists visiting Srinagar feel that Kashmir scores over many foreign locales often used in Bollywood films.
“I am feeling good. We were also thinking that nowadays there have been very less shooting activities in Kashmir. Bollywood is heading towards foreign locales like Switzerland but we have our own Switzerland here. We went to Sonmarg and Gulmarg. I really like the places. I thought there is no need to go anywhere. We have very nice locales in our own country,” said gaytari, a tourist from Delhi.
‘Saat Khoon Maaf’, regarded as the celluloid version of the Ruskin Bond book ‘Susanna’s Seven Husbands’ features seven male leads.
In the film, Priyanka Chopra plays a negative character that kills her seven husbands.