Kashmiri language Kashmiri () or Koshur (, /kəːʃur/) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by around 7 million Kashmiris of the Kashmir region, primarily in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. In 2020, the Parliament of India passed a bill to ma ...

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Aamir Bashir Aamir Bashir is a Kashmiri actor, film producer, and director. Early life and education Bashir was born and raised in Kashmir, the son of the retired Chief Justice of Jammu High Court. He is a graduate of St. Stephen's College, University of ...

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Vidhu Vinod Chopra Vidhu Vinod Chopra (born 5 September 1952) is an Indian film director, producer, editor, screenwriter, lyricist and actor. His well-known films as director are '' Parinda'' (1988), '' 1942: A Love Story'' (1994). He is also known for producing ...

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' Jammu and Kashmir and Indian filmmaker Prabhat Mukherjee. '' Babaji'' (directed by Jyoti Sarup) followed 39 years, but it was not screened in Kashmir. A 1989 film, ''Inqalaab'', was not released due to the turbulent political situation at the time. Because of the 1989 insurgency, film production in Kashmir was halted and an unofficial screening ban imposed on

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

films.

Cinema closures

Before the eruption of militancy in the 1990s, Srinagar alone had about 10 cinema halls - Firdaus, Shiraz, Khayam, Naaz, Neelam, Shah, Broadway, Regal and Palladium. Cinemas in Kashmir, including nine in Srinagar, were closed due to the 1989 insurgency. In 1996, due to efforts by the National Conference government, the Broadway, Regal and Neelam Cinemas showed

Vidhu Vinod Chopra Vidhu Vinod Chopra (born 5 September 1952) is an Indian film director, producer, editor, screenwriter, lyricist and actor. His well-known films as director are '' Parinda'' (1988), '' 1942: A Love Story'' (1994). He is also known for producing ...

's ''

Kareeb ''Kareeb'' (English: ''Intimate'') is a 1998 Indian Hindi-language romance film written, produced and directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. It stars Bobby Deol and Neha Bajpai. Plot Birju Kumar is a young man from an upper-middle-class family in H ...

''. After further attacks, conemas in Kashmir were closed and DVD film piracy flourished. Director Tariq Bhat worked hard to push Cinema Culture in Kashmir by organising movie screenings of his directorial debut film

Zindagi Tumse Zindagi is a word of Persian origin, which means "life". It may refer to: Film * ''Zindagi'' (1940 film), a Bollywood film directed by P. C. Barua * ''Zindagi'' (1964 film), a Bollywood film directed by Ramanand Sagar * ''Zindagi'' (1976 fil ...

(2019) In September 2022, a

multiplex Multiplex may refer to: * Multiplex (automobile), a former American car make * Multiplex (comics), a DC comic book supervillain * Multiplex (company), a global contracting and development company * Multiplex (assay), a biological assay which measu ...

was opened in Srinagar.

Television

Three

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

s have been produced in Kashmir: '' Rasool Mir'' (1974–75), directed by Bashir Badgami; ''Habba Khatoon'' (1977-1978), directed by Bashir Badgami and ''Arnimaal'' (1982–83), directed by Siraj Qureshi.

Documentaries

The first Kashmiri film shown at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

was Ezra Mir's 1952 documentary, ''Pamposh'' (''Lotus''). '' Inshallah, Kashmir'' is a 2012 documentary directed, produced and written by

Ashvin Kumar Ashvin Kumar is India's youngest Oscar-nominated and two-time national award-winning filmmaker, who has written, directed and produced a wide range of films, including India's only Oscar nominated short film ''Little Terrorist'' (2004), docume ...

. Other notable documentaries are ''

Papa 2 Papa II was an interrogation centre in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, operated by the Border Security Force (BSF) from the start of the Kashmir insurgency in 1989 until it was shut down in 1996. Background Every security force operatin ...

'' (2000) and '' Ocean of Tears'' (2012). In 2017, documentary on '' Pragaash'' kashmiri girls band with focus on

Women's rights in Jammu and Kashmir Women's rights in Jammu and Kashmir is a major issue. Belonging to a patriarchal society, they have had to fight inequality and routine discrimination. Since the onset of insurgency in 1988, rape has been leveraged as a popular 'weapon of war' ...

was released.

21st century

Several films were made post 2000. However only few of them had a proper release in theatres/cinema halls through proper distribution.

Harud ''Harud'' () is a 2010 Indian Kashmiri-language film directed by Aamir Bashir in his feature-film directorial debut. It is an independent, art house drama. ''Harud'' premiered at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival. The film stars Reza ...

, Kashmir Daily and Half Widow are only films in this list and were released on the platform of PVR. Harud was made under A Chasing Tales Production, starring Raza Naji and Kashmir Daily under Seven Two Creations and Safdar Arts and Half Widow under Renzu Films and Gaya Arts.

Aamir Bashir Aamir Bashir is a Kashmiri actor, film producer, and director. Early life and education Bashir was born and raised in Kashmir, the son of the retired Chief Justice of Jammu High Court. He is a graduate of St. Stephen's College, University of ...

, Hussein Khan and

Danish Renzu Danish Renzu is an Indian born Los Angeles based film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is also the Founder of Renzu Films. Renzu is best known for directing and producing films like ''Half Widow'', '' The illegal'', and ''Songs of Paradi ...

have directed them respectively. ''Akh Daleel Loolech'' (''Love Story'') starring

Mir Sarwar Mohammad Sarwar Mir is an Indian actor, who has appeared in Hindi films including '' Kesari'', ''Bajrangi Bhaijaan'', and '' Jolly LLB 2''. Career Mir Sarwar started his career with renowned directors M K Raina and Bapi Bose in Delhi. He was ...

, it was the first Kashmiri digital feature film, premiered in India in 2006. Directed by Aarshad Mushtaq, the historical drama explored the Kashmiri people's social and political struggles during the 19th century. In 2012, Kashmir's first 35mm feature film ''Partav'' directed by Dilnawaz Muntazir was released. This movie, Valley of Saints, a romantic drama set near

Dal Lake Dal is a lake in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir. It is an urban lake, the second largest lake in Jammu and Kashmir, and the most visited place in Srinagar by tourists and locals. It is integral to tourism and recreation in th ...

in Srinagar and directed by Musa Syeed, addressed environmental issues surrounding the lake. ''Qouluf,the ensorcelled'' 2014 was a Kashmiri language film that was screened in many film festivals, the film had Bashir Dada in the lead role, the film was directed by Ali Emran and produced by Yaqut Mushtaq, the film tries to follow the internal and the external journey of the protagonist. ''Kashmir Daily'',

Mir Sarwar Mohammad Sarwar Mir is an Indian actor, who has appeared in Hindi films including '' Kesari'', ''Bajrangi Bhaijaan'', and '' Jolly LLB 2''. Career Mir Sarwar started his career with renowned directors M K Raina and Bapi Bose in Delhi. He was ...

played the leading character in this film, he has also done several Bollywood films as well. Kashmir Daily is filmed in

Hindi Hindi ( Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

and Kashmiri and produced and directed by Hussein Khan, was scheduled for release in spring 2016 but ultimately released on 6th Jan 2018. Among few films which are ready is Bed No. 17 which is directed by

Mir Sarwar Mohammad Sarwar Mir is an Indian actor, who has appeared in Hindi films including '' Kesari'', ''Bajrangi Bhaijaan'', and '' Jolly LLB 2''. Career Mir Sarwar started his career with renowned directors M K Raina and Bapi Bose in Delhi. He was ...

and should release by the end of 2020

Revival efforts

Obstacles to reviving the Kashmiri film industry are the lack of financial and government support. However, some people are making independent films few examples are

Harud ''Harud'' () is a 2010 Indian Kashmiri-language film directed by Aamir Bashir in his feature-film directorial debut. It is an independent, art house drama. ''Harud'' premiered at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival. The film stars Reza ...

, Kashmir Daily and Half Widow and these three films are the only ones so far which have released. In 2014 Kashmiri filmmaker Ali Emran decided to shoot a film in Kashmir based on ''

The Fountainhead ''The Fountainhead'' is a 1943 novel by Russian-American author Ayn Rand, her first major literary success. The novel's protagonist, Howard Roark, is an intransigent young architect, who battles against conventional standards and refuses to comp ...

''. ''Identity Card- Ek Lifeline'' (2014) by Kashmiri filmmaker Rahat Kazmi received three awards at the American International Film Festival. In November 2014, the film was released worldwide. According to the Prime Minister of India, reviving the Kashmiri film industry would provide jobs for Kashmiri youth. In May 2015,

Salman Khan Abdul Rashid Salim Salman Khan (; 27 December 1965) is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who works in Hindi films. In a film career spanning over thirty years, Khan has received numerous awards, including two Nation ...

said during the filming of ''

Bajrangi Bhaijaan ''Bajrangi Bhaijaan'' () is a 2015 Indian Hindi-language comedy-drama film co-written and directed by Kabir Khan, based on an original story by screenwriter V. Vijayendra Prasad, and produced by Salman Khan, Rockline Venkatesh and Kabir Kha ...

'' which had some actors from Kashmir like

Mir Sarwar Mohammad Sarwar Mir is an Indian actor, who has appeared in Hindi films including '' Kesari'', ''Bajrangi Bhaijaan'', and '' Jolly LLB 2''. Career Mir Sarwar started his career with renowned directors M K Raina and Bapi Bose in Delhi. He was ...

, Bashir Bhawani etc. that Kashmiri cinemas should be re-opened. Imtiaz Ali praised the state government for encouraging filmmakers in the valley after

Chief Minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union terri ...

Mufti Mohammad Sayeed visited

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...

to meet with

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

industry figures. Inox Gold Class, a three-screen multiplex is situated adjacent to Srinagar's famous cinema hall of yesteryears called the Broadway cinema. This is the first

multiplex Multiplex may refer to: * Multiplex (automobile), a former American car make * Multiplex (comics), a DC comic book supervillain * Multiplex (company), a global contracting and development company * Multiplex (assay), a biological assay which measu ...

in Kashmir and has been built by M/s Taksal Hospitality Pvt Ltd company in Shivpora in the

Badami Bagh Badami Bagh is a cantonment town on the outskirts of Srinagar city in Srinagar district in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. A portion of Indian army in the valley resides in the Badami Bagh cantonment. Badami Bagh Cantonment ...

cantonment area of Srinagar which is owned by Vijay Dhar. It is here to mention that Mr. Dhar also runs Delhi Public School, Srinagar. The Inox Gold Multiplex was inaugurated by LG

Manoj Sinha Manoj Sinha (born 1 July 1959) is an Indian politician serving as the 2nd and the current Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir. He served as the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Communications and Minister of State for Railway ...

on September 20, 2022, later after the function the first film screened here to the journalists and selected audience was Laal Singh Chaddha. The cinema was thrown open for general public on 30 September, the films released were

Vikram Vedha ''Vikram Vedha'' is a 2017 Indian Tamil-language neo-noir action thriller film written and directed by Pushkar–Gayathri and produced by S. Sashikanth under his banner YNOT Studios. The film stars R. Madhavan, Vijay Sethupathi, Shraddha Sri ...

and Ponniyin Selvan:I. Jadooz, the Chennai-based startup company which sets up mini theatres in rural pockets of India has opened two mini theatres in

Pulwama Pulwama (known as Panwangam in antiquity, and later as Pulgam) is a City and notified area council in the Pulwama district of the Indian-administered territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is located approximately south of the summer capital of ...

and

Shopian Shopian or Shupiyan (), known as Shupyan () in Kashmiri, is an administrative division of the Shopian district, located in southern part of Kashmir Valley, of Jammu and Kashmir, India. Shopian is called the ''Apple town of Kashmir'' as majorit ...

.

Cinemas in Kashmir Valley

Kashmir has only one multiplex cinema: * INOX Multiplex Cinemas, Sonwar Srinagar. While as there are several multiplexes in Jammu:

Cinemas in Jammu Region

* MovieTime Cinemas in Palm Island Mall,

Jammu Jammu is the winter capital of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is the headquarters and the largest city in Jammu district of the union territory. Lying on the banks of the river Tawi, the city of Jammu, with an area of ...

. * PVR Cinemas, KC Jammu. * Wave Cinemas, Jammu. * Apsara Multiplex, Jammu * AMR Multiplex, Katra * Moonlight Cineplex,

Kathua Kathua is a city and municipal council located in Kathua district of Jammu Division of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, near its border with Punjab, India and Himachal Pradesh. The city is headquarters of Kathua district and is ...

* Raj Theatre,

Udhampur Udhampur (ˌʊd̪ʱəmpur) is a city and a municipal council in Udhampur district in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is the headquarters of Udhampur District. Named after Raja Udham Singh, it serves as the district capital ...

Kashmir film festivals

*''Kashmir World Film Festival (KWFF)'' is annual seven day

Film festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending upo ...

held at Srinagar. * Verite Film Festival (Kashmir) is held at

Awantipora Awantipora () or Avantipur or Aavantipur, known as Woontpor () in Kashmiri, is a town, just opposite of Pulwama city, on the banks of the river Jhelum in the Pulwama district of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is on the J ...

.

References

External links

Kashmir gets its first-ever multiplex in Srinagar

Kashmir gets its first-ever multiplex in Srinagar, to be opened for publicShould cinemas theatres be reopened in Kashmir?
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cinema Of Kashmir Kashmiri language

Kashmiri artists

1960s to 1980s

Cinema closures

Television

Documentaries

21st century

Revival efforts

Cinemas in Kashmir Valley

Cinemas in Jammu Region

Kashmir film festivals

See also

References

External links