Mumbai: Kashmir is entering a new chapter in its cinematic journey with the opening of the first International Film Festival of Jammu & Kashmir (IFFJK).
The festival marks a significant moment for the Valley, which once shared a deep and enduring connection with Bollywood before militancy and the closure of cinema halls disrupted its film culture for decades.
Featuring around 135 films from nearly 40 countries, the festival brings Kashmir into the international cinematic spotlight while signalling a renewed engagement with films, filmmakers and audiences.
It also highlights the Valley’s gradual emergence once again as a destination for the film fraternity.
As Kashmir celebrates this landmark moment, here’s a look at the Valley’s decades-long relationship with Bollywood and how it has evolved over the years.
Kashmir’s association with Hindi cinema goes back several decades. Raj Kapoor’s ‘Barsaat’ (1949) was among the early popular films to showcase the Valley’s spectacular landscapes, introducing its natural beauty to audiences across the country.
Shammi Kapoor soon became synonymous with Bollywood’s romantic vision of Kashmir.
Films such as ‘Junglee’ and ‘Kashmir Ki Kali’ presented the Valley as a world of romance, music and youthful exuberance, while ‘Jab Jab Phool Khile’ made Dal Lake and its houseboats an important part of its love story.
By the 1970s and early 1980s, Kashmir was no longer merely a scenic backdrop for Hindi films.
It had become an integral part of Bollywood storytelling, with movies such as Bobby, Kabhi Kabhie, Silsila and Satte Pe Satta further strengthening its place in popular cinema.
Bollywood’s enduring portrayal of Kashmir also contributed to the Valley’s image as one of India’s most desirable tourist destinations. Its snow-capped mountains, picturesque lakes and houseboats became familiar sights to generations of moviegoers.
However, that close relationship began to unravel in the 1980s as militancy intensified. By 1989-90, threats from militant groups had forced cinema halls across the Valley to shut down, bringing public cinema culture in Srinagar and other parts of Kashmir to a virtual standstill.
According to Kashmir Records, the Valley had more than 20 cinema halls before the closures.
As the security situation deteriorated, filmmakers gradually shifted to other locations.
Domestic destinations such as Manali and Ooty began filling the gap, while Switzerland emerged as one of Bollywood’s favourite locations for romantic songs and sequences.
Decades later, Kashmir is witnessing a renewed cinematic revival. With filmmakers returning, cinema halls reopening and an international film festival bringing films from around the world to the Valley, the region is reconnecting with a legacy that once made it one of Hindi cinema’s most iconic destinations.
The first IFFJK marks another significant step in that journey, offering Kashmir a platform not only to celebrate its cinematic past but also to shape its future as a destination for filmmakers, artists and cinema lovers.
