Srinagar, Sep 15 : Kashmir “deserves a lot more connection to cinema” and needs more theatres to celebrate its artistic culture, actor Vedang Raina said underlining that the Valley’s appetite for films and art remains vastly underserved.
Raina, who traces his roots to Kashmir, was in Srinagar for the inaugural edition of the International Film Festival of Jammu Kashmir where his film “Main Vaapas Aaunga” was chosen as the closing film last week.
Speaking to Media, the actor said the festival opened his eyes to the audience Kashmir has for cinema. “I didn’t even realise what kind of an audience Kashmir has for movies. I know that people there care about art and culture, but it’s through this film festival, I got to learn more about them,” he said.
“Whatever I can do to contribute to the culture of cinema being celebrated there, I wanted to do as it’s long overdue. Kashmir deserves a lot more theatre and connection to cinema, and being able to contribute to that feels special. People in Kashmir feel like family,” Raina said.
The visit was only his second to the Valley in his life, and the actor described it as an emotional homecoming. “I was going back to Kashmir only for the second time in my entire life and that place is very special to me as it is home. I wanted an excuse to go to Srinagar and when this opportunity came, it was the perfect match,” he said.
“To go there with a film of mine, my parents felt the proudest and emotional that I was doing something to give back to the people of where I come from.”
His film “Main Vaapas Aaunga” deals with the theme of leaving one’s home and the longing to return — a sentiment Raina said resonates deeply with Kashmir, which has witnessed displacement through Partition and the events of the 1990s involving Kashmiri Pandits.
“They have faced very testing incidents be it the Partition, or what happened during the ’90s (with Kashmiri Pandits), while it was different, the emotion of leaving everything behind and then start afresh remains,” he said.
The actor also dwelt on Kashmir’s landscape and cuisine, calling Pahalgam and Gulmarg among the most beautiful places in India. “I just love the landscape. This time, I only got to go to Srinagar, but when you go to Pahalgam and Gulmarg, there’s few places in India that are more gorgeous than that,” he said.
“Also the food, this time I had a proper Wazwan in Kashmir, which was amazing. I love Kashmiri food. And I also had the walnut fudge, and that is probably one of my favorite things.”
Raina said filmmaker Imtiaz Ali, with whom he has worked, knows the Valley far better than he does. “I have a connection with the place but Imtiaz Ali sir knows Kashmir way better than I do. He knows even the smallest places there, and when me and Sharvari were thinking of where to go, what to eat, Imtiaz sir knew it all,” he said.
Hoping to spend more time in Kashmir through a film shoot, Raina said, “If there’s an opportunity that takes me to Kashmir, and if it’s for a film shoot, that’s even better. It means I will get to spend so much more time there. If Imtiaz sir writes it, that would be a dream come true. If he decides to cast me in it, I hope that’s something that comes to fruition.”
Notably, The International Film Festival of Jammu Kashmir, held in Srinagar, marked a renewed push to bring cinema back to a region with a rich cultural heritage but limited exhibition infrastructure.
(With Agency Inputs )
