After 40 years, Bollywood revives its love affair with Kashmir as movie theaters once again fill to capacity

The first victim of militancy in J&K in the 1990s was cinema; theaters had to close due to threats made against the owners and viewers. Cinema halls are once again packed four years after the special provisions under Article 370 were repealed, which has prompted the government to design and reopen theaters in every region in an effort to resuscitate the movie industry in the Union Territory.

Kashmir used to be a haven for moviemakers. Raj Kapoor began filming in the Valley in 1949 for the movie Barsaat, beginning Bollywood’s enduring love affair with the region. Many Bollywood movies from the 1960s and 1970s were filmed in Kashmir, including Kashmir Ki Kali (1964), Jab Jab Phool Khile (1965), and Bobby (1973), among many more.

In fact, several locations in Kashmir are now recognized by the names of popular films, songs, or fictional characters. The popular song “hum tum ek kamre mein” was shot at the famous “Bobby Hut” in Gulmarg. The Betaab movie, starring Sunny Deol and Amrita Singh, was filmed at Pahalgam’s “Betab Valley.”

In 1985, Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s Khamosh was the last film to be filmed in J&K before Pakistan-sponsored insurgency stole the Valley of its calm.

When movies like Mission Kashmir and Haider were made after 2000, Bollywood did return Kashmir, but it wasn’t the same as the movies were based on Kashmir and its condition. Songs and scenes were still being shot in J&K, but the enchantment of the 1960s and 1970s was gone.

Filmmakers are once again turning their attention northwards as a result of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha opening movie theaters in the Srinagar, Shopian, and Pulwama districts and the implementation of a new film policy in Kashmir.

“All these years, Kashmir was falling behind in the film industry. People who once watched movies on a huge screen would miss it. Kashmiris were not granted access to film, but they now have it. Filmmaking shouldn’t be halted no matter what, according to Kashmiri filmmaker Mushtaq Ali, who spoke to News18.

Since before Article 370 was repealed, Mushtaq has been organising film festivals and has played a significant role in the resurgence of Kashmiri filmmaking. He praised the government’s new film strategy and stated, “We have filmmakers coming to Kashmir. It’s excellent that the administration has maintained the one-window system for clearances, he told News18 in Srinagar.

Kashmiris are feeling nostalgic as many films are once again playing to packed houses at the INOX Cinema in Srinagar, which was reopened by the Dhar family last year. Sharp posters have replaced the hand-painted movie banners. However, the feeling remains unchanged.

“We used to arrive early in order to get a ticket. Dilip Kumar was my all-time favorite actor, and whenever a new movie came out, arguments would break out, said Abdul Nazir, 70.

Tourists are also drawn in by the allure. “I’ve been to Kashmir before, but there was never a movie theater there. Both residents and visitors would benefit from this, according to tourist Pulkit.