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Bollywood filmmakers scout for locations in Kashmir as tourism picks up
A 24-member delegation of banners and artistes visited Gulmarg on Thursday. The team will stay in Srinagar on January 29 to explore their options and meet stakeholders
Bollywood has started looking to explore scenic backdrops for future film projects in Kashmir.
The top names which are exploring options are Ajay Devgun Films, Sanjay Dutt Productions, Reliance Entertainment, Rohit Shetty Films, Zee Studios, Adhikari Brothers & SAB (Marathi), Endemol, Rajkumar Hirani, Excel Entertainment besides representatives from Producers Guild, Mumbai.
“A 24-member delegation of banners and artistes visited Gulmarg on Thursday. The team will stay in Srinagar on January 29 and also have interactive sessions with media, travel trade associations and the Valley’s film and line producers,” an official spokesman said.
He said the people from Bollywood will also scout for locations at Pahalgam before concluding their visit.
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Director, Tourism, Kashmir, Dr GN Itoo said Kashmir has been receiving interest from Bollywood filmmakers and regional entertainment houses since tourism began here.
“Kashmir is a natural backdrop for filmmakers and the department has been making it easy for them to get permissions for shooting.”
Officials said besides tourists, many celebrities who recently visited Kashmir include singers Jubin Nautiyal, Guru Randhawa, Salman Ali, former actor and model Sana Khan, music composer Salim Merchant, TV host and anchor Aditya Narayan, business tycoon Anil Ambani., adding that most of them visited Gulmarg.
“The Producers’ Guild praised the pristine beauty of Gulmarg and expressed a keen desire to shoot for their upcoming film projects at various locations in Kashmir. Kashmir has been traditionally a favourite spot for the Bollywood filmmakers who have shot scores of movies here at Dal Lake, Srinagar’s Mughal Gardens, Gulmarg and Pahalgam,” the spokesman said.
A senior tourism official said that producers and representatives will meet with the stakeholders. “Today [Friday] they will be meeting people at Kashmir International Conference Centre.”
