Things in Kashmir are tense with the clashes that happened following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani. This is not the first time that there is so much of unrest in the Valley. The so called ‘Paradise on Earth’, has been destroyed by factions of society that do not want peace and are encouraged by external agencies to keep the unrest alive. But once upon a time, Kashmir was indeed proof of Mother Natures bounty, as is proven by the films which were shot there. In fact the very deterioration of the Valley can be glimpsed in these movies.
Kashmir Ki Kali
Kashmir ki Kali
A romantic movie set in the backdrop of Kashmir in 1964 starring Shammi Kapoor and Sharmila Tagore, shows the valley, shikaras and the beauty of the heaven on Earth, our Kashmir.
Kabhie Kabhie
Kabhie Kabhie
The evergreen romantic Amitabh Bachchan movie Kabhie Kabhie in 1976 once more shows Kashmir in all its natural beauty and splendor. It is one of the happiest experiences of Kashmir that Bollywood has captured so far.
Heena
Heena
Then in 1991 came the popular movie Heena where Rishi Kapoor’s car accident takes him away from Srinagar to the other side of Kashmir that’s part of Pakistan. Amidst the Indo-Pakistan tension, Rishi Kapoor is taken as a suspect of being an Indian spy and the struggles he goes through to get back home.
Roja
Roja
In 1992 came Roja, a romantic love story between a simple village girl and a government employee, set amidst the backdrop of terrorism in the Kashmir Valley. How the life of this newly married couple changed one fine morning is something that haunts us till date.
Mission Kashmir
Mission Kashmir
This movie came out in the year 2000 and shows how a family was completely wiped out by police officers due to confusions caused during the militant unrest in Kashmir. Years later, the only surviving son of the family turns into a terrorist to take revenge but in the long run realises the basic flaw in the fundamentals the terrorists had taught him, and when he decides to back out, he finds out the true intent of real terrorists.
Haider
Haider
This recent 2014 movie got many awards and completely captures the violent insurgency in Kashmir. How a simple boy turns violent when his family goes missing and the deep rooted politics that is eating up the state. There are many questions left unanswered.
Bajrangi Bhaijan
Bajrangi Bhaijan
Last but not the least our very own Bajrangi Bhaijan where Salman Khan is shown as going through all types of torture just to get a little girl back home to the Pakistani side of Kashmir.
From the mass expulsion of Kashmiri Pandits, to the constant violence in The Valley, to the anti-national slogans being shouted there by the common people, it is tragic what Kashmir has been reduced to.
Author: Susmita Roy
