Srinagar, Oct 3: He has shot 14 films in Kashmir between 1972 and 1988. And he has all long been praising the beauty of the Valley. But on his return to Kashmir after 23 long years, the Bollywood actor Rishi Kapoor sees ‘a change’ in Kashmir: “Today royal tourists are visiting the Valley and flights are fully booked, indicating a change of sorts.”
 Wearing blue-jeans trouser and jet-black sunglasses, Kapoor turned nostalgic as he recalled the movies he has shot in the Valley. “Kashmir is a great place. Its landscape is unique in the world,” he said at an informal chat with reporters at Hotel Grand Palace here. “Everywhere you go, you see a variety vis-à-vis landscape. You see lakes, mountains, forests, trees everywhere. And this unmatched landscape has a lot to offer for Bollywood.”
 But Kapoor believes that for Bollywood to return to Kashmir, “confidence of people and confidence of the state is imperative.” “We have to create that atmosphere,” he said. “Today I am glad to see a change in Kashmir. And this change is for good. Today you’d see flights to Valley booked and royal tourists visiting here, which is unlike the past when tourism to this place was very restricted.”
 Kapoor said the culture and beauty of Kashmir makes an ideal location for Bollywood movies. “But I am not sure how much Bollywood would return to the Valley because that is for producers to see. The location of a movie is, after all, decided as per its script,” he said.
 Kapoor was flanked by noted Bollywood movies director, Imtiyaz Ali, who has directed prominent movies like Jab We Met and Love Aaj Kal.
 For Ali, Kashmir is a wonderful place. “It is a kind of spiritually romantic place,” he said. “Ups and downs in terms of political scenario happen to be everywhere. But I must say it with confidence that we (directors) are not so powerful that we can destroy the enduring image of Kashmir.”
 Ali, who has recently shot movie named Rockstar in the Valley, was responding to a query on negative portrayal of Kashmir in some Bollywood movies produced post 1990. Rockstar features Ranbir Kapoor, son of Reshi Kapoor. “Anything which you see from a distance looks obscure. So it is important for everyone to visit this place and feel the difference,” he said.
 Ali said during his Rockstar shooting in Pahalgam and Nishat, he was highly impressed by the “cooperation of people.” “The love they showed would always be remembered,” he said. “We shot some scenes in a thickly populated area in Nishat where people were so kind and helpful. Same was the case with Pahalgam where we went up to Aroo area.”
 Ali and Kappor are presently in the Valley on a personal visit. Nazir Bakshi of Sheeraz Travels, who had organized the media interaction, also spoke on the occasion. “I organized this media interaction to send a message across to other states of India that Bollywood can return to Kashmir,” he said.

CaP: Bollywood actor Rishi Kapoor flanked by noted director, Imtiyaz Ali and prominent tour operator Nazir A Bakshi. (Habib  Naqash/GK)

Lastupdate on : Mon, 3 Oct 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
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