This is the biggest audience to attend a movie in Kashmir’s theatres since the 1990s. In fact, due to rising militancy in Kashmir, theatres were forced to close in the early 1990s. However, just a few months ago, Jammu and Kashmir Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha opened a multiplex theatre in Srinagar.
For the first time since the 1990s, a mob of fans descended onto Srinagar’s lone multiplex theatre to watch the Bollywood “Badshah” film “Pathaan,” starring Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone.
Raj Kapoor’s 1949 film “Barsaat,” which featured some Kashmir-based filming, helped establish a connection between Bollywood and Kashmir by showcasing the region’s beauty to a large audience. As a result, several film producers began to pay close attention to the Kashmir Valley.
Numerous Bollywood movies, including “Kashmir Ki Kali” by Shammi Kapoor, “Jab Jab Phool Khile” by Shashi Kapoor, and “Bobby” by Rishi Kapoor, were filmed in Kashmir. Many people still rank the songs from these films, which were filmed in Kashmir, as their favourites.
Additionally, there are other locations in Kashmir that are recognised by movie names or characters, such as the Pahalgam landmark or the landmark known as “Bobby Hut” in Gulmarg, where a song from the hugely successful Bollywood movie “Bobby” was filmed.”Betaab Valley” where the movie ‘Betaab’ was shot.
This wonderful bond between Kashmir and Bollywood persisted up until Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s 1985 film “Khamoosh,” when sad events nearly ended it. Nobody is hiding what took place in Kashmir at this time, yet in 2000, Bollywood was seen returning to Kashmir when movies like “Mission Kashmir” and “Haider” were filmed there. This partnership was also distinctive because the focus of the movie was Kashmir itself this time around rather than the natural beauty of Kashmir.
It is important to note that the Lt. Governor’s administration established a new film policy to convert Kashmir into the hub of Bollywood while also opening new seminar halls for the return of seminars in the Kashmir Valley.
A single-window mechanism was used under this policy, which was created in the year 2021 in an effort to facilitate shooting in the Kashmir Valley, to make requesting permission for shooting easier.
After these government actions, everyone was waiting to see if people would resort to the Simna homes or not. A mob of admirers could be spotted at Srinagar’s sole theatre as soon as the same movie, “Pathaan,” was released there.
Shah Rukh Khan’s supporters were quite appreciative of the movie on this occasion. The owner of the multiplex informed the media that the first four showings of the movie had been reserved in advance. “Shah Rukh Khan’s movie is being exhibited for the first time in Srinagar’s cinema, and the response from Shah Rukh Khan’s fans is appreciable,” said Vikas Dhar, owner of the multiplex “Inox,” to reporters.
“During the movie, the spectators were expressing their feelings by clapping and whistling as soon as Shah Rukh Khan entered the big screen,” he remarked.
Dhar praised Srinagar’s growing interest in cinema, particularly among young people.
“The trend of young people going to the movies gives us joy as well. Pathaan’s movie release in Srinagar turned out to be a wise choice. People are making reservations in advance, and more visitors are anticipated in the upcoming days.” It is important to note that despite the saffron organisations’ calls for a boycott, the movie “Pathaan” is doing quite well in theatres.
