The Hindu : When Bollywood producers came calling

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Apr 11, 2003

National

National

When Bollywood producers came calling

By Shujaat Bukhari

GULMARG APRIL 10. Responding to the clarion call by the Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, to rediscover Kashmir, barons of film industry today came to this beautiful spot of tourist attraction. The snow-capped mountains saw people like Yash Chopra making a pledge to continue with their forays into the Valley.

Notwithstanding a breakthrough in 1997, when the first shooting crew from Bollywood arrived in Kashmir, this hot favourite had almost vanished from the memory of film producers. Picking up the threads from Farooq Abdullah's initiative to attract top producers and directors, the Mufti Government's efforts seem to have started working despite the Nadimarg massacre.

Apart from Mr. Chopra, Ramesh Sippy, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Ramesh Tolani, Ashok Jakharia also made their appearance. Enthusd by the scenic beauty of the place, they said: "If we are here others won't be far away".

Asked why they responded to the Mufti's call Vidhu said: "To try and bring happy times again".

"This place inspires romance," said Ashok Jakharia, summing up the beauty of the place.

"We need not go to Switzerland and should exploit this heaven'', Mr. Jakharia said, picking up from the Tourism Minister, Ghulam Hassan Mir's promises to the film industry if it chose to come back to the Valley.

"People change but not the places and this place continues to be extremely beautiful. I first came here in 1958 as a tourist and then in 1964 to shoot my first film here. It has always been great working here and things are very normal," said Mr. Chopra.

Vidhu was "elated" while in Kashmir. The Kashmir-born film producer has "seen both the past and present" of the State. "If you talk of absolute past, we had never seen guns here and there was no such security presence. The recent past was terrible but things are looking up again," he said, adding: "I am not here to say that everything is normal but we are learning to live with militancy".

Ramesh Tolani is more delighted. The first-time visitor to the Valley said: "In fact, it is heaven". Added Mr. Chopra: "This stunningly beautiful place has not been exploited."

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