A film festival with Jammu & Kashmir in its title should not leave one half wondering when its turn will come.
The first International Film Festival of Jammu & Kashmir (IFFJK), which began on 7 September, brought filmmakers, actors, and musicians to the Union Territory. The distribution of the spotlight has left many in Jammu asking an uncomfortable question: was the city a co-host, or simply part of the acronym?
Bringing international cinema, filmmakers, and industry voices to the region is no small feat. Srinagar got the glamour: Imtiaz Ali, Sunidhi Chauhan, Vedang Raina, Pankaj Tripathi, Sharvari, and Ramesh Sippy made an appearance. Jammu, meanwhile, got local performers, administrative dignitaries, and its own programme of events, but not one big Bollywood name. Was it too much to ask?
Of course, this was the first edition of a festival of this scale. Some logistical chaos, uneven programming, and teething problems are natural. But when a festival is called the International Film Festival of ‘Jammu & Kashmir’, it is fair to expect both Jammu and Kashmir to feel like the protagonists.
The events lined up in Jammu were not insignificant. The opening ceremony on 7 September featured local singers and special guests. The next day, native filmmakers were felicitated in the presence of administrative dignitaries. The third day saw an evening of music featuring local performers, including Aditya Rao.
There is nothing wrong with celebrating local talent. In fact, that should be one of the biggest purposes of a film festival. But there is a definite difference between platforming local artists and making a city feel like an afterthought.
The irony becomes more prominent when you consider that even Jammu’s own talent travelled to Srinagar to make the main event sparkle. Choreographer Piyush Bhagat, who is from Jammu, was invited to Srinagar to perform with his crew during the inauguration ceremony.
Naturally, some Jammu-based influencers have expressed disappointment. It deserves to be heard with a pinch of salt rather than dismissed as whining.
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Honest criticism
Actor and senior theatre artist Kusum Tickoo, who anchored events in Jammu for the film festival, has urged people not to “throw harsh criticism” at the festival simply because its first edition did not get everything right.
That is a fair point. First editions are rarely perfect; they are allowed to stumble. A festival of this scale needs time to find its rhythm, understand its audiences, iron out logistics, and figure out what works. There is a perfectly legitimate reason for Srinagar to have its moment: Kashmir has historically had a long and unusually rich relationship with Indian cinema.
Tickoo also said the next edition could be celebrated primarily in Jammu.
“I feel that anything which comes out for the first time has its flaws, which can be rectified by the concerned team ahead. No harsh criticism,” she said.
Perhaps that is the approach the festival needs, not harsh criticism, but honest criticism.
Jammu does not need to beat Srinagar for the spotlight. This is not a Bollywood awards night where there can be only one red carpet. That would completely miss the point.
But if the government wants IFFJK to become a serious international cultural event, it cannot afford to make either region feel like a supporting character.
What Jammu is asking for is something less glamorous and more fundamental: equal ownership of an event that carries its name.
The first edition has already shown what works: there is an appetite for cinema, local talent, and an audience willing to show up.
The next step should be to make the festival feel genuinely J&K-wide. And this should happen not by moving a few events across the Pir Panjal, but by bringing filmmakers, actors, masterclasses, premieres, and industry conversations to both sides.
The festival does not have to choose between Jammu and Kashmir. It just has to stop making one of them feel like an understudy.
Views are personal.
(Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)