'<I>Yahaan</I>': Depicting life in strife-torn Kashmir : Bollywood News : ApunKaChoice.Com


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Mani Ratnam

'Yahaan': Depicting life in strife-torn Kashmir
25th July 2005 15.43 IST
By Agencies

Over the years, a number of films have ridden the Bollywood bandwagon claiming to depict life in strife-torn Kashmir.

Some like Mani Ratnam 's 'Roja' have even gone on to garner awards and critical acclaim. Director Shoojit Sircar's Yahaan , set for release on July 29, too is trying to cash in on the subject with a glimpse of virgin locales in Kashmir, which were left untouched by Indian filmmakers till now.

‘Yahaan’ is the first ever movie made in never-before-seen locations in the state. The film was shot in places like Habakdal and Tanhipura where no movie had been made before. These are places outsiders are hardly aware of," claims Sircar.

"Though we never had to face any dangerous situation, there was always the shadow of bullets hanging over us. I even used guerrilla style of shooting the film using autorickshaws to travel from place to place," Sircar says.

Set in the Kashmir Valley, ‘Yahaan’ is the story of an Indian army captain ( Jimmy Shergill ) who falls in love with a Kashmiri Muslim girl (newcomer Minissha Lamba). The film explores how the two lovers get caught up in the crossfire between the army and a militant group headed by the girl's brother.

Sircar bagged a special jury prize for 'Yahaan' at the Osian Cinefan Film Festival awards ceremony on Thursday night.

''Life in the beautiful valley of Kashmir is not only about insurgents and armed personnel and their conflict, it is also about real people who have desires and aspirations like all of us and who want to partake to the fullest the bountiful treasure of beauty that Nature has bestowed on the Valley.''

Countless Hindi films have been shot till date in the backdrop of the Kashmir valley, but Sircar feels that the depiction of the valley in Bollywood films in the past has been far from desired.

''All films made on Kashmir in the past, except perhaps Mani Rathnam’s 'Roja' have failed to reflect the true reality of life in the state. For one, all filmmakers have focused attention only on insurgency and conflict between the militants and the security forces. Nobody has tried to delve into the emotional aspects of the people living there,'' the ad-filmmaker-turned-film director said.

His may not be the first film made in the backdrop of Kashmir, but Sircar is confident that the film will present Kashmir in an altogether new light.

''A love story between an Indian Army Officer and a Kashmiri girl Adaa, the film has been executed in a way no film has been ever done before. For one, it has been shot in the areas of Kashmir that perhaps nobody has ever seen in Hindi movies. Many of these areas are considered sensitive for normal public but we went ahead and shot there after taking the required permissions from the Army.

''Also in the film I have made an effort to bring out the emotional aspects of the life of people of Kashmir - their rich cultural traditions and their warm hospitality towards outsiders,'' Sircar said.

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