The Kashmir effect

Inexplicable beauty

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“You don’t even think about the beauty that we have in this space until you stop and look around,” said Alia Bhatt recently. For Meghna Gulzar, who has spent a long time in Kashmir as a child, coming back to the place and shooting for Raazi has been an inexplicable feeling. The movie will show the beauty of the place through the visionary eyes of Meghna who has actually lived there.

White beauty

Abhishek Bachchan, who is back on silver screen after a gap of two years, shot for director Anurag Kashyap’s Manmarziyan in the valley. The film also stars Vicky Kaushal and Taapsee Pannu. The crew filmed many scenes near the Thaji and Zojila in Sonmarg. 

Trek on

Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani gave friendship goals to many youngsters back in 2013; the entire trekking sequence was actually shot in Gulmarg and not Manali. The movie showcased the picture-perfect and awe-striking beauty of Gulmarg and made many people want to pack their bags immediately and go trekking up North.

Dal lake

Jab Tak Hai Jaan was the last film of Yash Chopra and a complete packaged entertainer. Many portions of Jab Tak Hai Jaan were shot in Kashmir. The popular song Jiya Re showed a quirky, young and full-of-life Anushka Chopra dancing on a shikara, in the middle of Dal Lake.

Valley call

A lofty mission to make a little girl reach her home in Pakistan – Bajrangi Bhaijaan, this Salman Khan movie touched everyone’s heart through its optimistic narrative. However, not only was the storyline beautiful, but the way they shot the journey, travelling through Sonmarg showed the beauty of the valley and managed to leave people gasping for their breath. Interestingly, Salman is back in Kashmir and is currently shooting for Race 3 in the valley.

Winter wonder

One of the most acclaimed movies of Imtiaz Ali, with a strong visual narrative, Highway won a lot of applause for dealing with a fragile issue in a very sensitive way. Many portions of the movie were shot in Aru Valley – an area in Kashmir that is popular for hiking and trekking and is crowded with visitors in the winters

On a song

Mission Kashmir showed not two but three heartthrobs in their most vulnerable forms – Hrithik, Preity and Kashmir. The movie not only had a great, gripping storyline but its songs too stuck to people’s minds for a long, long time.