Bollywood producers kick-off "Mission Kashmir" for upcoming projects

Srinagar:The big banners of Bollywood are on a four-day visit to Kashmir, to explore the scenic backdrops for their future film projects, officials said .

The top notch production houses, which arrived here, included Ajay Devgun Films, Sanjay Dutt Productions, Rohit Shetty Films, Reliance Entertainment, Zee Studios, Adhikari Brothers & SAB (Marathi), Endemol and Excel Entertainment, besides renowned Director Rajkumar Hirani and representatives from Producers Guild, Mumbai.

Soon after their arrival here on Wednesday, the 24-member delegation visited Gulmarg on Thursday.The team will stay in Srinagar on January 29. It will have interactive sessions with media, travel trade associations, and valley's film and line producers. The delegation will also be exploring the beautiful locations of Pahalgam on January 30.

Director, Tourism, Kashmir G N Itoo said the top production houses were here and visited various locations.''Kashmir has been receiving good response from Bollywood filmmakers, since the opening of tourism here, in addition to the country's regional entertainment houses for shooting song sequences and commercial ads,'' he added.

Dr Itoo said Kashmir provides a natural backdrop for the filmmakers and the department has been making it easy for them to get permissions for shooting.Kashmir has witnessed a steady increase in tourist footfall due to continuous snowfall since the onset of winter.

Celebrities, who recently visited Kashmir, include singers Jubin Nautiyal, Guru Randhawa and Salman Ali, former Indian actress and model Sana Khan, music composer Salim Merchant, television host and anchor Aditya Narayan and business tycoon Anil Ambani. Most of them visited Gulmarg.

The ski resort also received 100 per cent booking as most of the hotels are booked till February end, owing to the huge tourist rush.

The Producers Guild praised the pristine beauty of Gulmarg and expressed a keen desire to shoot for their upcoming film projects at various locations in Kashmir.Kashmir has traditionally been a favourite spot for Bollywood, with several movies shot at Dal Lake, Srinagar's Mughal Gardens, Gulmarg and Pahalgam.(UNI)