Srinagar: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday said Jammu and Kashmir is ready to rebuild its historic relationship with the film industry, asserting that the inaugural International Film Festival of Jammu and Kashmir (IFFJK) will help restore the Valley as a preferred filmmaking destination and position it once again on the global cinema map.
Launching the logo of the 1st International Film Festival of Jammu and Kashmir (IFFJK) 2026 at the Royal Springs Golf Course here, Omar, recalled Kashmir’s deep association with Indian cinema, saying there was a time when Bollywood and the Valley were inseparable.
“There was a time when filmmaking in Bollywood and Kashmir was synonymous. No film was considered complete unless it had at least one sequence filmed in the Valley. If you couldn’t shoot an entire movie here, you at least shot one song,” he said.
The Chief Minister said the primary objective of the film festival is to revive that long-standing relationship and create a lasting platform for filmmakers.
“The idea behind this film festival is to rebuild the bond that existed between this part of the country and the film industry. I believe we are again at the cusp of restarting that relationship,” he said.
Stressing that scenic beauty alone is no longer enough to attract productions, Omar said the government is focused on making Jammu and Kashmir a filmmaker-friendly destination.
“We need to make it easier and cheaper for filmmakers to come here and also develop local youngsters who can support filmmaking activity,” he said.
Referring to noted filmmaker Muzaffar Ali’s long-delayed film Zooni, Omar said he was pleased to learn that Ali’s son had completed the project.
“If what he has done is even a patch on what his father had started, I have no doubt it will present Kashmir in a way it hasn’t been presented in the last four decades,” he said.
Expressing hope that the festival would become an annual event, Omar said the government wants it to evolve into a globally recognised platform.
“This is the first, but we definitely don’t want it to be the only one. We want filmmakers from across the world to look forward to participating here,” he said.
The Chief Minister also welcomed the Government of India’s decision not to close Srinagar Airport during the proposed festival period, saying it had come as a major relief for organisers.
“Thankfully, the Government of India changed its mind. That was a huge relief for us,” he said.
Omar also thanked filmmakers Muzaffar Ali, Imtiaz Ali and Sajid Ali for supporting the initiative, saying their association would provide a significant boost to Jammu and Kashmir’s efforts to revive its film industry and promote the region as a premier filmmaking destination.—(KNO)