Celluloid Kashmir

“The mist that drifts away at dawn, leaving but dew in thefields, shall rise again and gather into a cloud and then fall down in rain.”

-The Prophet, Kahlil Gibran

   

When asked what an average Indian is raised on, we have astock, even if somewhat staccato reply: rice, family relations, countlesstraditions, morality and Bollywood. That’s right. Bollywood today has morphedfrom an entity into a phenomenon and it is through this phenomenon that youraverage Indian hopes in the possibility of travelling from shadows to thestars.

Bollywood, or any film industry for that matter, is astellar expression of creativity, which holds the power to make the viewer riseand fall along with the tide that the plot fashions. So, the creative teamoften faces the dilemma of picking the right location and the right shootingspot, and for decades together, the Indian film industry has always had a go-todestination: Kashmir. The mammoth popularity of Kashmir in this arena has,undeniably, to do with the protean nature of the Valley – from ruggedly hillyterrains to towering peaks glistening with pearly snow to gardens manicured toperfection, Kashmir harbors it all. And the fact that Kashmir has been host toalmost 40 projects of Bollywood, an intimate part of the Indian household, onlyconsolidates the Valley’s status as the ‘crown’ of the Indian Subcontinent.

History tells us that Rome fell, and screams that it fellfor good. The scenario in Kashmir thus forth tells us that Kashmir’s liaisonwith Bollywood has fallen, and screams that it isn’t irrevocable. The chainreaction of shooting Hindi movies in the picturesque and pristine landscape ofKashmir was sparked with Junglee (1961) and Kashmir Ki Kali (1964).Subsequently, the industry brought forth one blockbuster after another in thebackdrop of Kashmir and it seemed as though there was no going back, the uniononly heightening by the years – until it all came to a standstill. There hasbeen a haunting hiatus in the exploration of Kashmir for movies and cinema, andthere are only intrinsic factors to blame – political volatility,over-sensitization of the youth and the huff of uncertainty and fear in the airabout the ground situation here, courtesy the media and its fragmented andskewed coverage. Alas, these fault-lines between the Valley and Bollywood havebrought nothing but dismay, both to creative artists as well as connoisseurs ofart in the Valley.

Yet, every cloud has a silver lining, and the duo of theValley and the Hindi cinema seems to have found its lining in the recent seriesof events: the prominent faces of Bollywood have managed to rekindle the flamethat once burned bright, warming all within its radius – a series of films arebeing shot, and a couple are scheduled to be shot, in the Valley, significantamongst them being Race (starring Salman Khan and Jacqueline Fernandes) andManmarziyan (featuring Abhishek Bachchan and Taapsee Pannu). Clearly, a fewbrazen stars have graced the dim sky of Kashmir with their spectacular light,promising a fruitful bustle. While we just stand here and speculate, actorshave been vocal about the magic the Valley wields around every artist, bindingthem to it in a blissful communion of passion and creativity. To quote AbhishekBachchan himself, “It is nostalgic for me because I have come here when myfather used to shoot his films here. It is truly a heaven on earth and I amvery happy to be back. It is still as beautiful as it used to be.” Indeed, therevival of this glorious trend has warmed the hearts of actors and localsalike.

The aesthetic approach to pointing the cameras of BollywoodKashmir-ward aside, there is a myriad of socio-economic benefits that thisillustrious phenomenon brings, the first one being a significant push to thetourism sector. The mere presence of a cinema set-up in the state will nothingbut send out signals that it is not perilous for tourists to inrush, like theyonce in our almost lost history used to. Moreover, the Kashmiri sense ofhospitality, that according to me remains unmatched throughout the country,will have an outlet and a chance at recognition and appreciation. Further, thepresence of multi-cultural and diverse members of the crew of a cinematicproduction will be instrumental in lending perspectives to the local Kashmiri,allowing them to step out of their cocoon and grasp a panoptic view of what ishappening pan-India. These are but a few beads of the vibrant necklace that canweaved out of our homeland once this nonpareil trend is pushed further on.

Just as a moth is drawn to a flame, the Valley and Bollywoodare incapable of mutual exclusiveness, so let’s all up the ante and be party tothis opportune union between long lost lovers, for via the interplay of naturalforces, they are bound to meet. And this time, let’s cross our fingers for thisfusion to be eternal, so the Valley is restored to its vigor and glory of theyesteryears.

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