Kashmir is a place which is always in the news. However, these days , the state is in news for the wrong reasons. For the last so many years, the state has been in focus, being a political football. The land which was said to be an integral part of the country has appeared to be a baggage that came with independence. The conflict has taken the life of so many brave-hearts and still the solution does not seem to be in sight.
Naturally, such a scenic place is ideal for shooting films and there have been many films shot either partially or substantially. There have been songs shot in the locales of Kashmir , while the rest of the film is based on some other area.
A recollection of such films is worth the effort. So, here it is....
Interestingly, the first film which must have had Kashmir as the backdrop was titled Kashmir Ki Kali, released in 1946. A film of the same name, 18 years later, was hugely popular . More about that in a while.
The 1946 film had Master Vitthal , Kavita Devi and Mehrunnisa as the star cast. Very little information is available on the Net regarding the solitary film directed by Jagannath Dhar.
However, in 1949, in the film Ek Thi Ladki , there was a song picturised on a shikara, one of the earliest such songs. Have a look at this song...
Interestingly, the first film which must have had Kashmir as the backdrop was titled Kashmir Ki Kali, released in 1946. A film of the same name, 18 years later, was hugely popular . More about that in a while.
The 1946 film had Master Vitthal , Kavita Devi and Mehrunnisa as the star cast. Very little information is available on the Net regarding the solitary film directed by Jagannath Dhar.
However, in 1949, in the film Ek Thi Ladki , there was a song picturised on a shikara, one of the earliest such songs. Have a look at this song...
One of the first films to have explored Kashmir was Barsaat , released in 1949. The story was about two friends with opposite personality traits and the love stories weaved around them in the valleys of Kashmir. The film was a superhit, as was its music.
Independence happened in 1947 and we saw a hostile neighbour occupying part of Kashmir. The Hindi film industry promptly made a film Kashmir Hamara Hai ( 1950), proclaiming our rightful custody. But the conflict zone had an impact on the film industry and the 50s were deprived of outdoor shooting there.
Another film called Kashmir got released next year. The patriotic fervour was emphatic in the words of Sarshar Sailani, composed by Hansraj Behl. The film starred Kamal Kapoor, Veena and Nirupa Roy. The song reflects the mood of the nation with regard to Kashmir.
uth ae watan ke naujawaan, aaya hai waqt-e- imtihaan tere watan ke darmiyan ek zaalimon ka karwaan
Within a decade the mood changed from nationalistic to romantic as the directors discovered that Kashmir is the place for expressing love to the special person, while sliding down the snowy slopes screaming Yahoo....we had Junglee ( 1961) !
Shot extensively in Kashmir, the film was a big musical hit. Saira Banu was just 17 and her hero was Shammi Kapoor. The interesting trivia is that initially the role of the hero was offered to Jagdeep !
The next film to have capitalised on Kashmir was the Kashmir Ki Kali of 1964, starring Shammi Kapoor and Sharmila Tagore.Nearly half of the film was shot in Kashmir, when it was at irs prettiest : the snow, the mountains and Mughal Gardens in Srinagar. Shot on breath-taking locales, this was also a big musical blockbuster, the music and the scenes intermingling into one homogenous audio-visual delight !
The lake, the shikaras and the carefree songs established Kashmir as the chosen place for romance.
Close on the heels of his elder brother, Shashi kapoor wood Nanda in the 1965 film Jab Jab Phool Khile in Kashmir. Playing the role of a Kashmiri boatman who falls in love with a rich tourist, this film scaled unprecedented heights thanks to its storyline, acting and music.
The Sixties had a whole lot of songs picturised in Kashmir, whether the story was set in Kashmir or not. Apart form the songs of Junglee and Kashmir Ki Kali, other songs which come to mind ( a lot may have been missed) are : Tumse achchha kaun hai, lakhon hain nigaah mein, mujhe dekh kar aapka muskurana, pukarta chala hoon main, ae nargis-e-mastana, har chehra yahaan chand and many, many more, but it will take up the whole lot of space for enumerating them !
In 1966 I.S.Johar sought to turn focus back on the "unfinished business of Partition" by making a film Johar in Kashmir. A love triangle in the backdrop of Kashmir would have been a great film, had the cast been more saleable. However, Johar and Sonia Sahni were no match for the commercial stars of the times. The patriotic angle of the disputed territory was, however, a takeaway since the fluffy romantic films preceding this one had made us lose sight of reality.
The 70s had its own share of musical films shot in Kashmir. The stories may not be revolving around the State, but some songs shot increased the value of the film.
In Bobby ( 1973), some scenes were shot in the astounding Gulmarg. There is a scene shot in a hut here which later became famous as Bobby Hut.
Aap Ki Kasam ( 1974) , starring Rajesh Khanna and Mumtaz was shot in the charming locale of Gulmarg. The chartbuster “Jai Jai Shiv Shankar” was one of the high points of the film and Kashmir.
Kabhi Kabhie ( 1976), a Yash Chopra romantic story with an ensemble cast of Amitabh Bacchan, Raakhee, Shashi Kapoor, Waheeda Rehman, Rishi Kapoor and Neetu singh, amongst others. The beauty of Kashmir blended with the storyline and the songs composed by Khayyam were icing on the cake !
The 90s had Henna, the RK Films' offering directed by Randhir Kapoor showcasing the area in its splendour. The emphasis , however, was on the story of hero Rishi Kapoor going across-the border and meeting his lady-love Zeba Bakhtiar. The Vishal Bharadwaj's take on Punjab
Two of the best films made with the backdrop of Kashmir, both by Mani Ratnam. The first one, Roja in 1995 told the story of a happy couple travelling to Kashmirand facing the militants, who abduct the husband. A brilliant sensitisation of the ground reality of the area, the film had great music.
Mani Ratnam's Dil Se in 1998 juxtaposed the terror-ridden Kashmir and its scenic grandeur with some great story-telling as a bonus and out -of-the-world music to top it all. Shahrukh Khan, Manisha Koirala and Preity Zinta formed the star cast. Needless to say, the film was very well received. This song is shot at Pangong Lake in Leh. The one factor that makes this Lake so popular is the fact that it keeps changing colors. The song is , aptly worded, Satrangi re.. The seven stages of love namely
1. HAB ( Attraction)
2. UNS (Infatuation)1. HAB ( Attraction)
3. ISHQ (Love)
4. AQEEDAT (Reverence)
5. IBADAT (Worship)
6. JUNOON (Obsession)
7. MAUT (Death)
are shown in the song and the narrative of the film.
are shown in the song and the narrative of the film.
Year 2K started off with Mission Kashmir, an action-thriller drama set against ominous Kashmir, focussing on the Children of the Valley. Insurgency, politics and religious bigotry were handled adeptly, showcasing the area extensively. Sanjay Dutt, Hritik Roshan and Preity Zinta were in the star cast.
Hritik Roshan acted in another ;Kashmir' film Lakshya ( 2004), which showed the coming of age story of an individual against the backdrop of Kargil War. In fact, there have been a number of war films lately, shot in Kashmir. LOC Kargil ( 2003), Ab Tumhare hawale Watan Saathiyon and Agnipankh (2004),Tango Charlie (2005) and Shaurya (2008) , to name a few.
Yahaan , released in 2005, gave the chilling realisation that the days of hero singing and dancing in Kashmir were over.Kashmir today is all about fear and death. Torn between the terrorists, who want an independent Kashmir and Indian Army who look at them with suspicion, the Kashmiris are at crossroads. The romantic war drama film is a love-story about a Kashmiri girl and an Indian army officer in a violent Kashmir and what follows next.
A number of films have been made either with Kashmir as the part of narrative or simply in the visual frames, in the last 10 years. Notable amongst them are Tahaan 2008 , which was a heady mixture of terror and innocence, the story is about a young Kashmiri boy in search of his donkey. , Lamhaa 2010-- the story is about an army officer and his lady-love taking a look at the multi-layered turmoil in Kashmir, Rockstar ( 2011)-a musical shot in Kashmir which also had an 80 year old Shammi Kapoor acting with his grandson Ranbir, , Jab Tak Hai Jaan ( 2012)- a Shahrukh Khan starrer romantic film is about a bomb squad officer posted in Kashmir in search of his first love and Ye jawani hai deewani (2013)-in which there are shots of the scenic Gulmarg in Kashmir which it passes off as Manali !
The year 2014 saw three films depicting Kashmir, partially or substantially. One of them was the Imtiaz Ali film Highway which included Kashmir's shots in the kidnap drama. Then there was Fitoor, a romantic drama based on Dickens’ Great Expectations.
But the film totally devoted to Kashmir was Haider ( 2014)
The adaptation of Shakespearean drama Hamlet in the folds of Himalayas in Kashmir.the complicated familial ties, which find resonance in its equally complicated relation between India and Kashmir.
Since the story is fully set in Kashmir, the soundscape, language and the landscape has a typical Kashmiri flavour.
The beauty of Kashmir is eternal and so is Love, they say!
Kashmir is going to be held synonymous with romance, love and beauty, despite the conflicts which are inherent to the land.
Kashmir is going to be held synonymous with romance, love and beauty, despite the conflicts which are inherent to the land.
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