Rishi Kapoor finds Kashmir as romantic as ever

Srinagar: Bollywood actor Rishi Kapoor, whose Kashmir connection dates back to 1970s when he had shot to fame as a young lover in superhit 'Bobby', today revisited the Valley saying he finds the place now as romantic as it was decades ago.

"Very few places in the world provide so much variety as Kashmir. You have so much variety here. It is a virgin beauty. This place is all about romance," Rishi told reporters here.

Rishi, who is on a personal visit here, talked about the beauty of Kashmir and the romance associated with it, delving into his past experience when he would frequently visit the Valley to shoot for his films.

"When we were shooting for Bobby in Pahalgam, it started snowing. So, we included that snow sequence also", he reminisced adding "this place has so much to offer".

Kashmir Valley was a prime destination for Bollywood filmmakers in 1960s, 1970 and 1980s. However, the region with its stunning mountain peaks, green meadows and gushing water was shunned by the film industry after the insurgency peaked in the state in 1990s.

Rishi said the Kapoor family in Bollywood has a deep association with Kashmir and were "connected with the soil here".

Also with Rishi was director Imtiaz Ali, whose upcoming release 'Rockstar' with Rishi's son, Ranbir Kapoor, was shot at locations like Pahalgam, Nishat and Boulevard Road in Srinagar, said "no one can damage the beautiful image of Kashmir".

"Shooting in Kashmir is smoother than in Mumbai because of the immense cooperation of the people," Imtiaz said. Recalling the shooting of 'Rockstar' in the Valley, Imtiaz said the situation was so conducive that he along with Ranbir would enter the houses of common people who offered them Kashmiri food and Kehwa - the saffron tea.

"The enduring image of Kashmir is a romantic place, a beautiful place and that will not go. None of us is so big that we can destroy the beautiful image of Kashmir," the director said.

With the decline in violence in recent years, Bollywood has cautiously returned to Kashmir. There has been a marginal increase in the number of films shot here over the past four years.

Recent films shot in Kashmir include Jimmy Shergill and Minissha Lamba starrer 'Yahaan', Sanjay Dutt and Bipasha Basu starrer 'Lamha', Vishal Bharadwaj's 'Saat Khoon Maaf' and Piyush Jha's 'Sikandar'.