Social, cultural aspects of J&K to reverberate across Maharashtra

Ravi S Singh

New Delhi, May 23

The echoes of social and cultural dimension of Jammu and Kashmir, and the scenic fiesta of the Valley will reverberate across Maharashtra during the upcoming 5-day Jammu and Kashmir International Film Festival–the first of its kind organised outside J&K–from June 11-15 at Pune.

Sarhad, a Pune-based non-government organisation, took an initiative in 2019 to organize a Film Festival, by the name and style of J&K International Film Festival (JAKIFF) but the same could not fructify due to Covid-19 generated turmoil.

Headed by Sanjay Nahar, Sarhad has been actively working in the social, cultural and educational field, and for peace, development and welfare of violence-affected children, widows and other people of Jammu & Kashmir for the past 30 years.

There are public spirited persons who have been taking up a cause sectorally, but Nahar and his team are the rare ones who have put their shoulder to the wheel for society in Jammu & Kashmir with a gestalt and elevated sense of humanity, for years.

“The festival is aimed at providing a platform to all the film makers from J&K, especially the young and amateur. The festival is also aimed at showcasing the culture, lifestyle, development and other stories from all regions of J&K, through the medium of films,” Sanjay Nahar said on Monday.

The film screenings on June 12-15 will be held in the auditorium of National Film Archives of India (NFAI) and the closing ceremony will be held in the Anna Bhau Sathe Sabhagraha, Pune.

JAKIFF is the first festival of J&K films of such a magnitude happening outside J&K. Films of all genres and music videos will be included in the festival. Sarhad has already received 51 films/music videos and are expecting more in coming days.

Other than the feature films, short films, short documentaries and music videos sent by the producers for the competition and non-competition sections, popular Hindi feature films of yesteryears like Mainzraat, Kashmir Ki Kali, Arzoo, Do Badan, Aap Ki Kasam, Bobby, Junglee, Jab Jab Phool Khile, Roti, Kabhie Kabhie, Betaab, etc., shall also be screened in the festival.

Super cinestar of yesteryears, Sharmila Tagore, who featured in the “Kashmir Ki Kali” film, and cinestar-turned politician Urmila Matondkar are expected to attend the festival.

Vijay Dhar (who is going to open a multiplex in Kashmir after a gap of 35 years), Pran Kishore, Abhijit Patil, Mushtaq Chaya and Mir Sarwar shall be felicitated during the festival for their contribution in promotion of films in Kashmir.

The director of this festival is Mushtaaque Ali Ahmad Khan, who is a dedicated cultural and film activist from Kashmir. Nahar said the festival will further cement the ties between Srinagar and Pune as “Sister Cities”. The municipal corporations of the two cities had signed MoU for cultural and other exchanges. Sarhad, which was the force behind the project, is a nodal agency with regard to implementation of the MoU.

Considering the novelty and importance of the event, senior leaders cutting across party lines including Sharad Pawar (President NCP), Sushil Kumar Shinde (former Union Home Minister ),Altaf Bukhari (President J&K Apni Party), Amit Deshmukh (Culture Minister of Maharashtra) and other dignitaries / film Celebrities have already given their consent to attend it. Meanwhile, the organisers have decided to dedicate the festival to the international fame Santoor maestro Jammu-born Pandit Shivkumar Sharma.