Kashmir has always been Bollywood’s first choice. I mean there’s hardly a director of the romantic genre who hasn’t thought of at least shooting a song in Kashmir for his movie. Back in the 70s and 80s, there was hardly a movie without a scene or a sequence in Kashmir. And why should not a director choose Kashmir when it has so much to offer. From the lush green meadows to the beautiful waterfalls, from the clear blue skies to the colorful Mughal gardens, Kashmir has it all which is required for a perfect frame.
Kashmir has been filmed a lot during the old times and to the extent that there are places named after those movies. Take an example of the famous ‘Betaab Valley” in Pahalgam in South Kashmir. The place got so famous that people still visit the place to feel the charm of Sunny Deol and Amrita Singh’s innocent chemistry. The place was named after the 1983 cult classic ‘Betaab’ directed by Rahul Rawail and written by the all time charismatic Javed Akhtar.
Talking about the new age directors, Imtiaz Ali is the one who seems to have absolute love for Kashmir. He has shot some of the amazing sequences in the valley including many songs and scenes.
There are numerous movies that were shot in Kashmir partially and/or fully and it is not possible to list them all in a single go. So, below are some top movies shot in Kashmir that’ll take you to the valley of the lofty mountains and the fragrant orchards.
Kashmir Ki Kali :
Directed by Shakti Samanta, Kashmir Ki Kali is a 1964 made movie starring Shammi Kapoor and Sharmila Tagore. The movie is mostly shot in Kashmir and the director hasn’t left any chance to show the beauty of the valley. The craze of staying in houseboats grew tremendously after this movie. This movie was a blockbuster in those days.
Betaab :
As discussed above, this 1983 blockbuster movie was shot entirely in Kashmir starring the young and dynamic duo – Sunny Deol and Amrita Singh. “Jab Hum Jawan Honge” remained the chartbuster for many years and so does the fragrance of the movie. ‘Betaab Valley’ is still celebrated by tourists and locals.
Jab Jab Phool Khile:
Starring Shashi Kapoor and Nanda, this was a blockbuster movie in 1965 and not just that it was the No. 2 in top ten grossing films at Box Office India for 1965.The movie was a romantic drama almost entirely shot in Kashmir and fetched huge box office collection. Nanda was extraordinarily stunning in the film.
Dil Se:
Directed by Mani Ratnam, Dil se is a 1998 romantic thriller starring Shah Rukh Khan, Manisha Koirala and Preeti Zinta who was making her debut in Bollywood . Based on the insurgency in Assam, the movie was shot in Ladakh which was a part of Jammu and Kashmir till 2019 when it was turned into a Union Territory. The movie was a blockbuster and won many International awards.
Mission Kashmir :
If you are a 90’s kid, you must have danced on the “Bumbro Bumbro” at least once. Directed by the dynamic Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Mission Kashmir is a 2000 movie starring Hrithik Roshan, Preeti Zinta, Sanjay Dutt and Jackie Shroff. The movie gained a huge popularity in those times with its famous dialogue “Bol Kya Hai Mission Kashmir” and many beautifully cinematographed songs.
Highway:
A road drama written and directed by Imitiaz Ali was another cult classic 2014 movie which featured Kashmir. Alia Bhatt and Randeep Hooda starrer film gained both the actors huge fame and fetched them many roles in many big films. There were only a few sequences shot in Kashmir though.
Haider :
A movie that made Shahid Kapoor a superstar of the contemporary times. The story revolved around the Kashmir conflict where the director Vishal Bharadwaj has shown Kashmir of the 1990’s. The other actors including Shradha Kapoor, KK Menon and Tabu were also outstanding in the movie. “Hum Hain Ki Hum Nahi” became an anthem after the movie was released.
Jab Tak Hai Jaan:
Directed by the late Yash Chopra, Jab Tak Hai Jaan was a 2012 romantic drama movie starring Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma. It was the last movie directed by the late Yash Chopra. Apart from many sequences shot in many places, the song “Jiya Re” featured Dal Lake and the apple orchards wonderfully.
Bajrangi Bhaijaan:
No matter if you are a Salman Khan fan or not, we are sure that you must have loved this superb movie starring Salman Khan and Nawaz ud Din Siddique. The movie not only earned money but love and respect for the actors, writers and the director. A good portion of the movie was shot in Kashmir which made it visually appealing as well. The child artist “Munni” was superb in the movie. The movie was shot in Pahalgam, Ashmuqam and Sonmarg.
Laila Majnu:
A 2018 romantic drama filmed entirely shot in Kashmir received a huge appreciation from the audiences. Though the star cast wasn’t very big in the movie, it still managed to grab a good audience. Starring Avinash Tiwary and Tripti Dimri, this movie had many Kashmiri actors too. If you haven’t watched this movie yet, go watch it today!
The list doesn’t end here. There are many other Bollywood movies in which the valley was featured. Many of them earned good business while some became blockbusters. The recently released ‘The Kashmir Files’ fetched a good box office collection. Similarly ‘Uri’ was received well. Many other movies like Fitoor, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Raazi, Notebook, Rockstar, Wazir, Roja, Shikara, LOC-Kargil, Lakshya, Tahaan, Into The World, Yahan, Agent Vinod, Phantom, Tubelight, Kalank, Jolly LLB 2, Karma, Aandhi, etc. How many of them have you already watched?? Let us know!