Shot in old Srinagar, ‘Lihaaf’ set for premier in Germany

M Aamir Khan
Tribune News Service
Srinagar, June 25

Partly shot in the old city here, world premier of film ‘Lihaaf’ based on celebrated Urdu author Ismat Chugtai’s controversial 1942 short story will be held at the Indisches Filmfestival, Stuttgart, in Germany next month. As the movie is directed by Jammu-based Rahat Kazmi and has popular Bollywood actor of Kashmiri origin Mir Sarwar in one of the lead role, the development comes as good news for the J&K-based actors and filmmakers in a state with almost defunct local film industry.

“The world premier will be held during the Indisches Filmfestival Stuttgart on July 19. Besides, we have also been called to premiere in the US, Mexico, Singapore and other parts of Europe. It is an honour for the entire team,” said Kazmi, who hails from from Poonch in the Jammu region.

Shot at the Jalali Heritage House in the old city where the crew re-created Aligarh of pre-Partition period, the poster of ‘Lihaaf’ had been released at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival last year. Earlier, Kazmi had started his directorial venture with film ‘Identity Card’ in 2014 that won several awards at San Francisco Global Movie Festival in 2014. Later, Kazmi also received the best director award for his film ‘Mantostaan’ at the London Asian Film Festival, 2017.

Kazmi said ‘Lihaaf’ meaning ‘quilt’ looked at an “emotional and physical relationship of a neglected woman (Begum) with her woman masseur through the eyes of a teenager.”

Sarwar, who has acted in acclaimed Bollywood films like Kesari, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Phantom, Dishoom and Jolly LLB-2, said he was playing the role of a ‘nawaab’ in ‘Lihaaf’. “My character is very rich and is always busy with his group of friends and mushairas. Begum is being neglected by him most of the time. He is right in from his point of view and so is Begum,” he said.

Pertinently, late Chugtai had been slapped with a notice and later defended her case in a Lahore court during the pre-Partition period for depicting obscenity in her story.