Jammu and Kashmir known for its breathtaking beauty and incredible landscape dotted with meadows, valleys, high altitude passes, dense forests, lakes, apple orchards, snow capped peaks, provide just the picture perfect for shooting a film.Several movies have been shot in this beautiful region blessed with magnificent scenic splendor, with film tourism in Jammu and Kashmir remaining as popular as ever. The Indian film industry is rekindling its romance with Kashmir, a destination once a favorite of filmmakers and the audience alike. Soon, the Valley witnessed the cameras set on its blooming tulips, placid lakes, coniferous trees and the Dal Lake. Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, has met Bollywood filmmakers including Ekta Kapoor, Dinesh Vijan, Imtiaz Ali, Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari and Nitesh Tiwari among others in Mumbai. He invited them to shoot in the Valley and also discussed how the shooting of films can be made business-friendly in the Union Territory. The concept aims to bring back the lost glory of the valley through benefits to the local artists, including dancers, fashion designers, actors, choreographers, cinematographers, sound recordists, set designers and others.Bollywood’s love affair with the picturesque Kashmir dates back to the 1960’s and 70’s. Back then, scores of films were set in the backdrop of the beautiful locales of the Valley. Some of the most romantic and evergreen songs were picturized in the snow-clad hills and lush green locales of Jammu and Kashmir. In 1961, Shammi Kapoor romanced Saira Banu in the snow-capped mountains in Srinagar as he sang “Chahe koi mujhe junglee kahe”. He immortalized the ‘Shikara’ on the Dal Lake in the song “Tareef karun kya uski” as he wooed a beautiful Sharmila Tagore in Kashmir Ki Kali (1964).In the late 1970s and early 80s, cinephiles witnessed Yash Chopra’s love affair with the beguiling beauty of Kashmir in superhits like Kabhi Kabhi (1976), Noorie (1979) and Silsila (1981). Everybody remembers the movie Betaab, starring Sunny Deol and Amrita Singh, the movie and its location was such a hit with the audience, that the Valley, which was earlier known as Hagan Valley, was renamed as Betaab Valley.
