SRINAGAR: Kashmiri movie veterans have shined a harsh light on Bollywood’s trite scripts confining J&K’s depiction to “scenic beauty, skullcaps that few in the Valley actually wear and AK-47s carried under pherans and long beards”, while calling for strengthening indigenous filmmaking.Speakers reeled off such gripes at a seminar organised in Srinagar on Saturday by Kashmir Music Club, run by popular singer Waheed Jeelani.“We have stronger stories here and there is a need to develop them,” actor Umar Imtiyaz said as he took potshots at Bollywood for dishing out its familiar fare of “skullcaps, long beards and AK-47s under pherans (long, loose-fitting garments worn by Kashmiris in winter)”. Imtiyaz argued that it was time to challenge such stereotypical representations.Echoing the sentiment, filmmaker Ayash Arif called for a focus on regional cinema that blends local concerns with a broader global outlook. He criticised J&K govt’s film policy, arguing it was more of a tourism blueprint aimed at encouraging filmmakers from elsewhere to shoot in the region due to its scenic beauty. What is needed, Arif said, is a roadmap aimed at promoting local productions.The 2022 policy offers several initiatives, including a single-window portal for shooting permissions and subsidies. It recalls the heady 1960s when blockbusters like Kashmir Ki Kali, Jab Jab Phool Khile, Himalay Ki God Mein and Janwar were shot in Srinagar and Gulmarg, followed by some international productions such as The Razor’s Edge in the 1980s.At the seminar, however, many felt the policy does not address requirements back home. “There is a lot for outside filmmakers in the policy but not much for local makers,” Arif said.
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Director Kapil Matoo, whose recent film Tasrufdar: Djinns of Kashmir won critical acclaim, urged local filmmakers to shed a sense of victimhood and recognise their own potential. “We must have our own industry here and start making films as we have stories of every shade,” Matoo said.Actor-director Mir Sarwar exhorted local artists not to depend on the limited opportunities offered by Doordarshan Srinagar and J&K Academy of Art. “We must help each other rather than wait for roles from filmmakers who come from outside,” Sarwar said. Cinematographer Shafqat Habib felt Kashmiri filmmakers must carve out a distinct identity.