Amid bone chilling winter, a South Indian film crew completed shooting for their film around Wular Lake, Asia’s second-largest freshwater body, in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district.
The film, being directed by Aditya Suhas, is based in Kashmir whose principal photography will be done in neighbouring Baramulla, while some of the scenes were shot in Zurimanz, a village on the brim of Wular Lake.
It was the first movie to be shot in the Lake after implementation of the Film Policy-2021 in Jammu and Kashmir. In 2021, the J&K government announced a film policy to revive Kashmir’s connection with Bollywood and offered incentives and single-window clearance for permission.
Local residents who worked with the crew said that shooting films in Kashmir will generate employment avenues for locals. A large number of people from nearby areas, including women and children had turned up to witness the shooting of the film.
The film crew was all praise for not only the scenic beauty of Wular Lake but the Valley. “This lake is so beautiful that I am in awe of the beauty and calmness. I feel honored to shoot some parts of this movie here. I believe it is the first time that a south Indian film is being shot in Wular,” said Aditya, one of the crew members.
He said he would love to see more filmmakers explore the place. “The locals have been so helpful. It would have been a bit difficult for us to work in this freezing temperature but we were made comfortable by them,” Aditya added.
The locals were delighted with the development and hoped that it would put their otherwise discreet area in the spotlight. “We are thankful to the south Indian film crew for shooting here and expect that other filmmakers will follow. It will provide employment opportunities to locals,” Zahoor Ahmad, a resident said.
He said the film shooting will not only promote tourism and depict a true image of Kashmir.