Cashing in on Kargil
By Asha Singh

THE battle of Kargil has led to a flurry of activity in the Hindi film industry. Apart from fund-raising events like star-studded musical shows and exhibition cricket matches, film folk are making a beeline towards the arena of action.

Producer Bharat Shah has already finalised locations for his film Raju Chacha in Jammu and Kashmir. Likewise, Ramoji Rao is conducting feasibility studies in the battle sector for another film to be shot there.

Among the films already shot there, the Aamir Khan-starrer, Sarfarosh ran to packed houses. As Rajat Sengupta of Gramco Films points out, there is tremendous media mileage to be obtained by any film unit, which can manage to shoot in and around Kargil.

"It will be largely played up by the media which, in turn, will benefit the box-office prospects of the film in question," he explained. "You can call this patriotism or plain curiosity, Indians love to be part of the scene of action."

Mehul Kumar, whose Kohram highlights the proxy war waged by Pakistan in India’s north-west border, has dedicated the film to "those who have sacrificed their lives in Kargil". The Nana Patekar-Amitabh Bachchan starrer has been released recently.

Industry watchers say that the scripts of Indra Kumar’s Mann and Boney Kapoor’s Pukaar were subjected to last-minute changes in order to capitalise on public sentiments over the Kargil crisis. Both these films were shot extensively in Jammu and Kashmir.

Meanwhile, the Indian Motion Pictures Producers’Association (IMPPA) has reported a rush of applicants, seeking to register "Kargil" as part of the titles for new films. (MF )