It was a treat to watch. The great Bollywood actor John Abraham, style icon for youth in first decade of 21st century in India, was in Kashmir. Donning a traditional Pheran he was spotted being photographed at different locations. From the last ten years scores of Bollywood movies have been shot in Kashmir with almost every leading director making shooting in Kashmir an important part of his shooting itinerary.
Bollywood scouts helped Kashmir find Betaab Valley after it was chosen as a location for the movie with the same name. The days of late Shammi Kapoor when he was filmed on the song, ‘Tareef Karun Kaya Uski’ while aboard a Shikara is still fresh in our minds. Or great actors like Dilip Kumar, Dharmendra, Jeetendra and Rajesh Khanna shooting some of their all-time hits in the various locales of the valley. Kashmir has been a favorite spot for Bollywood producers and directors right up to very recent times when Shahid Kapoor entertained us with his great acting skills. Rithik Roshan was also a great crowd favorite. Ranbir Kapoor also has a huge number of fans in Kashmir as do Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Amir Khan.
In the coming years we can expect more and more filmmakers coming to Kashmir. It would be a huge fillip to the tourism sector. Filmmakers come with huge crews directly benefiting hoteliers and restaurant owners of the area. When the Bollywood actors post the same reels on Instagram and YouTube it creates a domino effect and more and more tourists start flocking into Kashmir. The Bollywood movies have created a great ripple effect in making the public in plain states believe that the situation is normal in Kashmir. We must collectively thank Bollywood to this end.
The need of the hour is to start building a small film city in Kashmir. This way we can attract more and more low-budget filmmakers who have everything ready for shooting and do not have to start from zero. Attracting low-budget filmmakers is as important as attracting high budget film makers.
Kashmir is eagerly awaiting for the tourist boom in 2024.
