J&K's first international film festival opens, minister praises return of normalcy

Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Monday said the first International Film Festival of Jammu and Kashmir would add to the Union Territory's cultural landscape and create new opportunities for young people.

Speaking at the inauguration of the maiden festival, he said the event also sends a strong message that cinema is as popular in Jammu and Kashmir as it is in the rest of the country.

Singh said the festival had become possible because of the prevailing normalcy in the Union Territory, and described it as a significant moment for a region that had once gone decades without cinema halls. He said the event would also serve as a major platform for local artists.

Lauding the organisers, Singh said, "We are grateful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the situation here is becoming favourable and returning to normal to an extent that we are able to successfully organise this programme here," while also thanking the state government and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.

He said the occasion was heartwarming because he had seen the time when cinema halls in the Valley shut down one after another.

"A long period of about 20-25 years passed when we were deprived of cinema. Yet, this region has had an inseparable relationship with Indian cinema. We have seen the days when film shootings took place in every street-corner, garden and scenic vistas of Kashmir. Hotels and houseboats used to be bustling with guests from the film industry," he said.

Recalling earlier links between Kashmir and Hindi cinema, Singh said, "I still remember the filming of 'Kabhi Kabhie' here. It featured a song – this beautiful lyric by Sahir Ludhianvi, 'Main pal do pal ka shayar hoon'. The scene shows Amitabh Bachchan singing the song on a stage at a college programme. The audience in the sequence featured actual students from the Government College for Women, Srinagar."

He said the festival would provide a strong platform for local talent and noted the contribution of Kashmiri artists to Indian cinema.

"Older generations will recall that during the 1950s and 1960s, many of our finest artists hailed from Kashmir. Among top actors, Raaj Kumar, Jeevan, Sapru, and Om Prakash were all from Kashmir. Rajendra Singh Bedi didn't belong to Kashmir, but he served as the station director for Jammu Radio Station and later wrote dialogues for films like Devdas. Balraj Sahni was from Punjab, but he visited Kashmir extensively. Vidhu Vinod Chopra is our friend and college senior – he also belongs here," he said.

Singh said Kashmir has enriched Bollywood and the film industry has, in turn, enriched the Valley, as he expressed hope that the new festival would strengthen that relationship while opening fresh opportunities for the youth.