Srinagar: Filmmaker Sriram Raghavan says it’s time Hindi cinema stopped typecasting Kashmir—and that Kashmiris started telling their own stories.
“It’s never good to have just one sort of straight-jacketed kind of approach. There have to be all kinds of things,” Raghavan told ThePrint on the sidelines of the first International Film Festival of Jammu & Kashmir (IFFJK) in Srinagar. “It’s important that people here tell their own stories. I want to know how love stories happen here, I want to know the family dramas that happen here.”
Known for films such as Johnny Gaddaar, Badlapur, Andhadhun and Ek Hasina Thi, Raghavan is among the filmmakers attending the four-day festival, being held from 7 to 10 September across venues in Srinagar, Gulmarg and Jammu. More than 130 films from over 30 countries are being screened, including Raghavan’s latest release Ikkis — a war drama set in 1971 — which will be shown on 9 September.
Raghavan said the festival was only a beginning and would provide “so much exposure” to people in J&K. He also referred to J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s opening speech, where he appealed to filmmakers not to look only at Kashmir’s mountains and landscapes, but to seek out its stories and engage with its people and culture.
“It looks like [Abdullah] really wants to promote cinema here. He is doing his best,” said Raghavan, who is also conducting a masterclass on direction and screenplay writing at the festival.
Also Read: Omar Abdullah recalls Bollywood’s love affair with Kashmir—from Kabhie Kabhie to Haider
‘Toying with making a film in Kashmir’
Raghavan is confident that security concerns won’t stop filmmakers from filming in Kashmir.
“Anything can happen anywhere. But this festival will help more people to come. There will be more confidence. Also, in Bollywood we have herd mentality. When two people come in, everyone will start coming,” he said.
The filmmaker even shared that he himself is “already toying” with an idea to execute in Kashmir. However, there is nothing concrete as of now.
“I think a lot of people from Bombay will be interested in coming and shooting here. But I think the whole idea is to encourage people from here to tell their own stories. That would be the best thing that happens,” Raghavan added.
Despite the Pahalgam massacre in April 2025 and continuing security concerns, the popularity of Kashmir as a filming location has seen an uptick over the past few years. While 102 shooting permissions were granted in 2023, the past two years reportedly saw 406, helped in part by the J&K Film Policy 2024.