These days, three houseboats in the Dal Lake in Srinagar have transformed into a television series set. The makers hope it will encourage others to shoot serials in the Valley.
Many houseboats are lined up at the Dal Lake in Srinagar. A shikara emerges from amid the 바카라traffic바카라 of houseboats and ferries one towards the 바카라location바카라. The shikarawala refers to the lake as the 바카라Golden Lake바카라. Soon, three distinct and colourful houseboats 바카라Pashmina, King of the Sea, and Royal Orchard바카라 are visible from a distance. It is here that a television serial is being shot.
Situated between the Pashmina and the King of the Sea is an islet, which serves as the location for the creators of the drama serial Pashmina, which draws inspiration from the 1990s hit Gul Gulshan Gulfam.
Farooq Ahmad Katroo, the owner of this unique houseboat set, who is in his early 50s, is a known face. He spent the majority of his post-1990 life in Italy. Katroo is not only fluent in English but is also proficient in Italian. However, he prefers conversing in his native language, Kashmiri.
바카라When I visit local government offices and if someone speaks to me in Urdu, I respond to him in English. I always prefer to speak in Kashmiri,바카라 Katroo says.
In the 1990s, when insurgency gripped the Valley and foreign visitors stopped visiting Kashmir, Katroo moved to Europe.
바카라Even during those challenging times, I took pride in having brought foreigners to Kashmir. It is we people of Dal who have been sustaining tourism in Kashmir for long,바카라 he adds.
Katroo says he has hosted documentary filmmakers, including foreigners, in the Valley. But their stays used to be very brief, limited to two or three days. 바카라The makers of Pashmina are, however, spending 60 days staying in my houseboats and are doing most of shooting here,바카라 he says. He feel the drama series is going to be very popular.
His houseboat was originally called 바카라Miss England바카라, but the makers of the series named it Pashmina and Katroo wishes to retain this new name.
바카라When people across the country will watch Pashmina, they would love to see the very houseboats where it is shot. This, I believe, will greatly benefit Kashmir바카라s tourism industry. This houseboat will be an attraction for tourists in the future.바카라 Katroo, who is in awe of the British, is happy to give up Miss England for Pashmina.
The director of the series, Vikram Labhe, 45, is from Maharashtra and spent the last winter in Kashmir. Labhe has directed several projects for Sony, and is thrilled to be back in the Valley to shoot the drama series. He says he plans to extend the shooting of the drama series through the winter to capture the frozen beauty of the Dal Lake, the snow-covered landscapes of Gulmarg, and the mystic allure of the mountains.
바카라The show is set to air on Sony SAB TV. A series is being filmed in Kashmir after a long time, possibly the first time since Gul Gulshan Gulfam was shot. While films are being shot here frequently, no television series crew has landed in Kashmir in decades,바카라 he says.
Labhe says what sets Pashmina apart from the other fiction that is shot in Kashmir is the attempt to focus exclusively on the Kashmiri culture. 바카라The name itself carries a beautiful ring. The protagonist바카라s name is Pashmina, and her character mirrors the qualities of the Pashmina thread 바카라 vulnerable, soft, and innocent. This alignment between the character and the name is why it feels fitting,바카라 he says. 바카라The series is named 바카라Pashmina, Dage Muhabbat Ke바카라 (Pashmina, The Threads of Love),바카라 he says. 바카라It is all about love and beauty.바카라
바카라The central theme of the show revolves around houseboats. It follows the story of two women 바카라mother and daughter바카라 who manage a houseboat,바카라 he adds. Labhe says unlike the other serials, where initial episodes are often shot on location and the rest of the shooting takes place on similar-looking sets in Mumbai, Pashmina defies this convention. The show is entirely filmed on real locations. There's no shift to a studio set after the initial shooting, like it happens in all drama serials. The entire show remains true to real locations,바카라 Labhe adds.
His winter visit to Kashmir left him captivated. However, in the summer, the landscape is greener. The 바카라very unlike Kashmir바카라 heat is, however, draining crew.
바카라Those who have not been to Kashmir, their perception of Kashmir is limited to the snow-covered slopes of Gulmarg, the enigmatic mist of Dal Lake and the greenery,바카라 says Labhe.
It is shaped by Bollywood바카라s portrayal of the Valley created over the past several decades. 바카라Films from the early 50s and 60s depicted the enchanting Kashmir 바카라snowy slopes of Gulmarg, vibrant gardens바카라 persisting until the 1990s. Post-1990, filmmakers shifted their focus away from Kashmir, and instead of using it as a backdrop, they turned it into Europe. Even the Kashmir-specific films made during this period focused only on the militancy aspect. However, we are now revisiting the era of love and peace, reminiscent of the 1960s.바카라
While green-lighting the first day of the shoot in Srinagar, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said film tourism will be a major driver of growth and job creation for Jammu and Kashmir.
바카라We began shooting in the summer, will continue shooting till the winter and probably beyond. The prospect of shooting an entire series in Kashmir is exciting. The show will reshape perceptions that Kashmir is not solely about militancy,바카라 Labhe says. 바카라We want to convey that we are going back to our roots; that we are shooting in our country. That is the most beautiful thing. We don바카라t have to go to Europe to capture waterfalls and the greenery,바카라 he adds.
바카라In recent times, numerous South Indian films have been shot here. One of my personal favorites is the 2019 film Sita Ramam, which beautifully captured Kashmir,바카라 he says.
바카라We will film at the Dal Lake, Gulmarg and also use the Mughal gardens as our backdrop. Our portrayal of Kashmir will be one of happiness, beauty, and vibrant colors. Negativity won't find a place in our drama series.바카라
At the Pashmina houseboat, Prakash, one of the crew members, is sitting beside a window looking at the Dal waters. 바카라I have been here many times for various shoots, including Sudhir Mishra바카라s Crime Beat. I have been to Sonmarg, Yusmarg, Srinagar and all the other places but this time, to be in a houseboat, is a different experience,바카라 he adds.
Irshad Bashir and Arif, the two line-producers, who will cut the promo of the series, have a long association with films and production. They feel Pashmina has the potential to bring tourism back in Kashmir as it is a series related to Kashmir, which is also shot in Kashmir.
Having an MA in journalism from Maulana Azad National Urdu University, they started working as coordinators and then graduated to being line producers. 바카라Chase of Anuj Saxena바카라 was their first big film in 2010.
바카라We worked in three shifts and chose Arahbal, Awantipora, Dal Lake and Royal Spring Gulf Course as locations.바카라 When they went back to Mumbai after shooting was over, they encouraged film producers to shoot in Kashmir. When Rockstar was shot in the Valley, it was a turning point and many film-makers started coming to Kashmir. 바카라We have done a lot of web series, including one with Mahesh Bhatt. We also formed our company and started exploring new places for shooting,바카라 they say.
Incidentally, they have been successful in convincing film-makers to shoot in the Baderwah Tehsil of Jammu where 바카라Noorie바카라 was shot in 1978. 바카라That time, there was hardly any hotels. Today you see a number of hotels have come up in Baderwah,바카라 he adds. 바카라Now the situation has improved to an extent that line producers now shoot in Baderwah as well.바카라
바카라Earlier, shooting in Kashmir was difficult for the line producers as they needed artists, crowd, and no one seemed available. Now artists call us and ask whether there is any shooting anywhere and whether their service is required. I see it as a healthy change,바카라 he adds. 바카라Those who were earlier charging Rs 10,000, now charge in lakhs,바카라 he says. This year they worked as line producers in Kashmir for web series 바카라Aadha Ishq바카라, Hansal Mehta바카라s 바카라Scoop바카라, 바카라Kehwa바카라, a short film, and many other projects.
바카라Pashmina will bring more serial producers to Kashmir and already we are seeing a number of wedding shoots happening here. There is craze to have a wedding scene shoot in Kashmir,바카라 they say.