Pune: The audience including film lovers and students from Pune was awestruck while watching the extraordinary talent exhibited by the directors and actors of Kashmir through the films made by them under the pressing circumstances.
Kashmir is otherwise known for its heavenly beauty and conflict. The audience could relate to the soul of Kashmir which otherwise has been absent from other movies made on Kashmir’s background. “I never thought Kashmiris could come out with such brilliant themes and unique ways of expression.
Every short film gave me a new vision towards the lives of Kashmiri people,” said Bipin Mandlik, a filmmaker-student, after today’s screening. The same feeling was obvious from the thoughtful faces of the audience. After two days the festival will conclude.
During these days many more will turn up at the National Film Archives theatre.
Kashmir has done magic, again, over Punites. Mushtaq Ali is the festival director and instrumental in holding this.
Today Sarhad also had organised a special seminar in which Pune-based media and filmmakers interacted with the Kashmiri producer-directors. In this session, Sanjay Awate, Editor-in-Cheif of Daily Lokmat said that so far the outside producers have used Kashmir as aesthetics for background or its politics for some or other motives.
But the soul of the Kashmiri people, their inner sentiments unfortunately was missing from their works. Now Kashmiri filmmakers have to put together every aspect of Kashmiri life through the movies they make.
Shriram Pawar, the chief editor of Sakal group, said that people of India and the world have seen Kashmir through many ovies but the life of Kashmiri people was missing in them.
The movies that are being screened at this festival truly are taking the audience to the core of Kashmiri life and their struggle. He also congratulated the Kashmiri filmmakers for making movies only out of passion when they are ill-equipped and while facing every kind of uncertainty without having enough outlets to exhibit their talent.
Nilesh Navalakha, the national award winner producer, said that while films are amazing, to technically polish the talent of the director-actors workshops have to be arranged so that their making becomes superb. That way getting international platforms to showcase their talent will be easier.
Kashmiri directors expressed their gratitude towards Sarhad and Puniets for allowing them to screen the films made by them and expressed their thoughts on the liberty and freedom to express themselves.
Sanjay Nahar, founder-President of Sarhad, in his opening speech explained the background of this first-ever J&K International film festival and said that now film festival will be organised every year.
Raj Kazi, a veteran screenplay writer anchored the seminar. Other participants were Shridhar Loni, editor of Maharashtra Times, Shailesh Wadekar, Yuvraj Shaha, Milind Lele, Tariq Javeed, Mushtaq A Bala, and Ashok Kaul Tiku.
Greater kashmir is media partner of first Jammu and Kashmir International Film festival Pune.