Prang (Ganderbal): Trekking to various slopes in the Valley for over a month now, prominent Bollywood actor and producer, Chitrangda Singh says, “Kashmir is beyond headlines.”
“Those who want to see Kashmir in real sense need to come out of their media phobia,” Chitrangda Singh told Greater Kashmir in an exclusive interview at picturesque Prang area in central Kashmir’s district Ganderbal.
“I have been staying in Kashmir for over a month now. It is always so enriching and enchanting to come over with family and friends and spend some quality time here,” she says, adding “For me Kashmir is beyond headlines.”
“I have travelled a lot and have gone places across the world. There isn’t a place which gives you so much warmth like Kashmir. Go and meet people here, you will have endless stories to hear. There is something divine attached to this place,”
Chitrangda Singh says she has gone to many places across the world and has been visiting Kashmir for many years now. “There is so much connection to this place,” she says.
The pictures of valleys and other picturesque places of Kashmir region pop up more on your social media feed as the travellers have moved on from sandy beaches to Kashmir lately. There’s a sudden increase in footfall of tourists in Kashmir that we all seemed to have missed out on.
Chitrangda says that (Kashmir) is full of stories. “What we have witnessed elsewhere and especially in the film industry we lack stories and this place offers you stories everywhere. All you need is to open your eyes and wash away your fears. Come out of the media mounted fears.
“I am not visiting Kashmir as a tourist and I don’t believe in half-cooked stories. When you are in Kashmir, all you need is to go beyond your comfort zone and interact with people and you will find how loving and warm they are.
“If you are an outsider, there are many elements that hold you back. Sometimes fear is being sold in the name of Kashmir but when you come personally and visit places, all you notice is a different Kashmir, a Kashmir which is beyond headlines and fearing media reports.”
“We have had a lot of distressing stories through the media and when you look at the place (Kashmir) through people it isn’t true. It is so warm and so welcoming.”
Projects in Pipeline
There are several projects coming up and work is going on. “We are starting at the end of the year. My biopic, the story will be based in Kashmir. That is the film I want to produce. There are some scripts which I have and I would like to put through the people.”
Faces from Kashmir
“I would like to take a few faces from Kashmir for my upcoming projects as there are so many interesting faces and characters here.
“Apart from celebs, many travel influencers like Richa Sharma, Shramona Poddar, Sharanya Iyer, Anupriya Kapur, and Prakriti Varshney also jetted off to Kashmir right after the lockdown. Check out some of their pictures that will make you want to pack your bags immediately.”
Talking about her screening experience, she says that Kashmir has an abundance of talent and little opportunity. “I would really love to feature faces from Kashmir in my productions. I am currently working on a few projects.”
Elaborating on her thoughts, she says, “An entire generation has grown up without cinema halls and I’m sure they have their stories to tell. I want to make films with more of such actors and get Kashmiri musicians to sing in my films.”
In her pursuit of exploring the place, Singh is also creating memories and incorporating those in her Instagram live feeds or reels. “I love Kashmiri cuisine and hence, I talked about these places,” she says.
Chitrangda Singh, who was shooting for Nikkhil Advani’s Bazaar, took some time off from her busy schedule for a trek vacation to Kashmir. After a stretch of stressful work schedule, the actress finally decided to take out some time for a quick vacation to Srinagar with family and friends. For her quick vacation, the vivacious actress has chosen a trekking experience to spend some time with family and friends.
While talking about her experience of trekking, she shared “I have done trekking before and fished along Valley. I love nature and completely enjoy the entire experience.”
She further adds, “I got some time off my hectic schedule and decided to take a small and quick trek. This time we went to Dachigam reserve in Srinagar. It’s a 5 day trip. We are trekking and climbing the mountain and will reach the riverside area. We did some camping there with some bonfire and barbecue. The entire idea was to relax in the lapse of nature.”
Talking further about her holiday, the actress revealed, “We also played some gully cricket after the trek with the local boys and caretakers. Later we went for another short trek to sheshnag (Gulmarg) and did some fly fishing along the Ferozepur River.” On the work front, the actress will be seen juggling as an actor and producer in Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster 3 alongside Sanjay Dutt and in Bazaar opposite Saif Ali Khan.
Actress turned producer Chitrangda Singh is all set to don the producer’s hat for Sandeep Singh’s biopic Soorma, starring Diljit Dosanjh and Taapsee Pannu. Currently, Chitrangda Singh is shooting for her upcoming film Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster along with Sanjay Dutt and Bazaar with Saif Ali Khan.
Chitrangda Singh, is a model-turned-actress, who made her debut in Sudhir Mishra’s Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi in 2005 and rose to fame with her first commercial film, Rohit Dhawan’s Desi Boyz in 2011.
“You have outdone Smita Patil,” said Shekhar Kapur, when he saw Chitrangda Singh’s performance in her debut movie Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi 2003. And he is not the only one. Time and again Chitrangda has been compared to the legendary Smita Patil. Chitrangda began her career as a model prior to making the transition to the silver screen. She also acted in the 2005 film Kal: Yesterday and Tomorrow (2005). She took a break from acting from 2005 to 2008 after her marriage to Indian golfer Jyoti Randhawa. She made her film acting comeback with the leading role opposite Sanjay Suri in the film Sorry Bhai. Her recent release was Sudhir Mishra’s Yeh Saali Zindagi.