Kashmiri cinema is the Kashmiri language-based film industry in the Kashmir Valley of the India,- administered union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. [1] The first Kashmiri feature film, Mainz Raat, [2] was released in 1964. In 2023, Welcome to Kashmir, directed by Tariq Bhat, became the first-ever Kashmiri-produced Bollywood film to release in Kashmiri cinemas. [3] [4] [5]
Kashmir is a shooting destination for Bollywood films, [6] [7] and Kashmiri actors are well known in Bollywood. [8] [9] Some famous Kashmiri artists in films and television are:
The first Kashmiri feature film(Mainz Raat, directed by Jagjiram Pal) was released in 1964. In 1972, Shayar-e-Kashmir Mahjoor , a biography of Kashmiri poet Mahjoor, was released. Made in Urdu and Kashmiri, the film was a joint venture of the Department of Information of Jammu and Kashmir and Indian filmmaker Prabhat Mukherjee. [12] Babaji (directed by Jyoti Sarup) followed for 39 years, but it was not screened in Kashmir. A 1989 film, Inqalaab, was not released due to the turbulent political situation at the time. Because of the 1989 insurgency, film production in Kashmir was halted, and an unofficial screening ban was imposed on Bollywood films. [13]
Before the eruption of militancy in the 1990s, Srinagar alone had about 10 cinema halls: Firdaus, Shiraz, Khayam, Naaz, Neelam, Shah, Broadway, Regal, and Palladium. [14] Cinemas in Kashmir, including nine in Srinagar, were closed due to the 1989 insurgency. [15] In 1996, due to efforts by the National Conference government, the Broadway, Regal,and Neelam Cinemas showed Vidhu Vinod Chopra's Kareeb . After further attacks, cinemas in Kashmir were closed, and DVD film piracy flourished. Director Tariq Bhat worked hard to push cinema culture in Kashmir by organising movie screenings of his 2019 directorial debut film Zindagi Tumse [16] followed by Welcome to Kashmir , the first Kashmiri-produced Bollywood film. [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] In September 2022, a multiplex was opened in Srinagar.
Three television films have been produced in Kashmir: [12] Rasool Mir (1974–75), directed by Bashir Badgami; Habba Khatoon (1977-1978), directed by Bashir Badgami; and Arnimaal (1982–83), directed by Siraj Qureshi.[ citation needed ]
The first Kashmiri film shown at the Cannes Film Festival was Ezra Mir's 1952 documentary, Pamposh (Lotus). [12] Inshallah, Kashmir is a 2012 documentary directed, produced, and written by Ashvin Kumar. Other notable documentaries are Papa 2 (2000) and Ocean of Tears (2012). In 2017,a documentary on the Pragaash Kashmiri girls band with a focus on Women's rights in Jammu and Kashmir was released. [23]
Several films were made after 2000. However, only a few of them had a proper release in theaters/cinema halls through proper distribution. Harud, Kashmir Daily, and Half Widow are the only films in this list and were released on the platform of PVR. Harud was made under A Chasing Tales Production, starring Raza Naji [24] and Kashmir Daily under Seven Two Creations and Safdar Arts [25] and Half Widow [26] under Renzu Films and Gaya Arts.
Aamir Bashir, Hussein Khan and Danish Renzu have directed them respectively.
Akh Daleel Loolech (Love Story) starring Mir Sarwar, it was the first Kashmiri digital feature film, premiered in India in 2006. Directed by Aarshad Mushtaq, the historical drama explored the Kashmiri people's social and political struggles during the 19th century. [27] In 2012, Kashmir's first 35mm feature film Partav directed by Dilnawaz Muntazir was released. This movie, [28] Valley of Saints, a romantic drama set near Dal Lake in Srinagar and directed by Musa Syeed, addressed environmental issues surrounding the lake. Qouluf, the ensorcelled 2014 was a Kashmiri language film that was screened in many film festivals, the film had Bashir Dada in the lead role, the film was directed by Ali Emran and produced by Yaqut Mushtaq, the film tries to follow the internal and the external journey of the protagonist.
Kashmir Daily, Mir Sarwar played the leading character in this film, he has also done several Bollywood films as well. Kashmir Daily is filmed in Hindi and Kashmiri and produced and directed by Hussein Khan, [29] was scheduled for release in spring 2016 but ultimately released on 6 January 2018. [30] Among few films which are ready is Bed No. 17 which is directed by Mir Sarwar and should release by the end of 2020 [31]
Obstacles to reviving the Kashmiri film industry are the lack of financial and government support. [32] However, some people are making independent films few examples are Harud, Kashmir Daily and Half Widow and these three films are the only ones so far which have released. In 2014 Kashmiri filmmaker Ali Emran decided to shoot a film in Kashmir based on The Fountainhead . [33] Identity Card- Ek Lifeline (2014) by Kashmiri filmmaker Rahat Kazmi received three awards at the American International Film Festival. [34] In November 2014, the film was released worldwide. [35] According to the Prime Minister of India, reviving the Kashmiri film industry would provide jobs for Kashmiri youth. [36] In May 2015, Salman Khan said during the filming of Bajrangi Bhaijaan which had some actors from Kashmir like Mir Sarwar, Bashir Bhawani etc. that Kashmiri cinemas should be re-opened. [37] Imtiaz Ali praised the state government for encouraging filmmakers in the valley [38] after Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed visited Mumbai to meet with Bollywood industry figures. [39]
Inox Gold Class, a three-screen multiplex is situated adjacent to Srinagar's famous cinema hall of yesteryears called the Broadway cinema. This is the first multiplex in Kashmir and has been built by M/s Taksal Hospitality Pvt Ltd company in Shivpora in the Badami Bagh cantonment area of Srinagar which is owned by Vijay Dhar. [40] It is here to mention that Mr. Dhar also runs Delhi Public School, Srinagar. [41] [42] The Inox Gold Multiplex was inaugurated by LG Manoj Sinha on 20 September 2022, later after the function the first film screened here to the journalists and selected audience was Laal Singh Chaddha. The cinema was thrown open for general public on 30 September, the films released were Vikram Vedha and Ponniyin Selvan:I.
Jadooz, the Chennai-based startup company which sets up mini theatres in rural pockets of India opened two mini theatres in Pulwama and Shopian in 2022. [43] In 2023, Jadooz opened cinema halls in Handwara and Baramulla, with plans to open 3 more cinema halls in Bandipora, Ganderbal, and Kulgam in September 2023. [44]
Kashmir currently only has one multiplex cinema:
Several other multipurpose cinema halls exist in Kashmir:
Jammu has several multiplexes and cinema halls:
Srinagar is a city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. It is the largest city and summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, which is an Indian-administered union territory. It lies in the Kashmir Valley along the banks of the Jhelum River, and the shores of Dal Lake and Anchar Lakes, between the Hari Parbat and Shankaracharya hills. The city is known for its natural environment, various gardens, waterfronts and houseboats. It is also known for traditional Kashmiri handicrafts like the Kashmir shawl, papier-mâché, wood carving, carpet weaving, and jewel making, as well as for dried fruits. It is the second-largest metropolitan area in the Himalayas.
Kunal Khemu is an Indian actor and filmmaker who works in Hindi cinema.
The Shankaracharya Temple or Jyeshteshwara Temple is a Hindu temple situated on top of the Shankaracharya Hill on the Zabarwan Range in Srinagar in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is dedicated to the Hindu god, Shiva. The temple is at a height of 1,000 feet (300 m) above the valley floor and overlooks the city of Srinagar.
Jammu and Kashmir is home to several valleys such as the Kashmir Valley, Chenab Valley, Sindh Valley and Lidder Valley. Some major tourist attractions in Jammu and Kashmir are Srinagar, with its renowned Dal Lake and Mughal Gardens, Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Bhaderwah, Patnitop and Jammu. Every year, thousands of Hindu pilgrims visit holy shrines of Vaishno Devi and Amarnath which has had a significant impact on the state's economy.
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Kashmir Daily is a Hindi-language social drama film produced and directed by Kashmiri filmmaker Hussein Khan under the banner of his own production house Seven Two Creations in Association with Safdar Arts. The film was first screened at SKICC Srinagar in March 2017. The film was released on 5 January 2018 and was shown in several cities of India in PVR Cinemas. It is the 1st Film from Kashmir which will be released throughout India.
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Half Widow is a 2017 Indian drama film directed by debutant Danish Renzu and written by Renzu and Gaya Bhola. The film tells the story of a woman from Srinagar in Kashmir, who tries to find her husband who is abducted by the Indian army. Jointly produced by Bhola and Renzu, the film stars Neelofar Hamid, Shahnawaz Bhat, Mir Sarwar and Haseena Sofi. Because there are no theaters in Kashmir, the film was screened at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre. The title of the film refers to the namesake term used for Kashmiri women whose husbands have disappeared mostly in custody of security forces in the Kashmir conflict. The film's official trailer was released in May 2017. The characters in the film talk in Urdu, with some Kashmiri. The film received a favourable review on Cineblitz. The film was released theatrically on 6 January 2020 in India.
Shahnaz Bashir is a Kashmiri novelist and academic from Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir.
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Parsa's, trading as Parsa's - Food For All, is an Indian fast food chain headquartered in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India. It was founded in 2017 by Javid Parsa. Parsa's currently operates at number of locations across Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh as well as in few major cities in India. It has 26 outlets throughout India.
Welcome To Kashmir is an Indian Hindi-language thriller film directed by Tariq Bhat and produced by Filmstock Creations. It stars local actors, Mateena Rajput, Ahmad Shahab, Simran Ahuja, Niharika Tariq and Rehan Tariq. It was released on 26 May 2023. It is known to be first Bollywood film which stars actors from Kashmir.
Tariq Bhat is an Indian Kashmiri Writer and Director who predominantly works in Bollywood cinema. He is known for his movie, Welcome to Kashmir which was released in Jammu and Kashmir theatres. He is also the director of Zindagi Tumse released in 2019.
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