Million-dollar tourist Kashmir welcomes foreign film crews from both Hollywood and Bollywood

‘Million Dollar Tourist’: Kashmir welcomes foreign film crews. Both Hollywood and Bollywood filmmakers shoot in South Kashmir. Anantnag, May 28 ÷ Film shooting in Kashmir had declined since the 1990s, but recent developments such as the introduction of the New Film Policy have rekindled interest among Bollywood and British actors to shoot in Kashmir’s scenic locations. Shooting of the film ‘Million Dollar Tourist’ starring a London actor is taking place in tourist destinations of Verinag, Sintang Top and Daksum Kokernag in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district. The main aim of the film is to attract foreign tourists reminiscent of those who visited Kashmir before the 1990s. While talking to a news agency, one of the British actors expressed his excitement to shoot in Kashmir. “I am very excited to be here and I believe foreign tourists should come too. It is a safe and wonderful place,” she said. The film’s screenwriter said the script was written to encourage collaboration between European locals and Bollywood artistes. He said many foreign tourists visited Kashmir in the past but the numbers have been declining over the years. “The main aim of the film is to attract international tourists and this film should be an attraction for them,” he said, adding that foreign tourists should visit Kashmir not just for the film’s shooting but also to promote tourism. Another actor of the film expressed happiness over the filming in Verinag and urged both the Bollywood and Hollywood industries to consider filming in Kashmir. “We have three projects planned for the Valley and all will be shot in South Kashmir, including Shopyan,” the actor said, adding that 70 percent of the production cost will be spent in South Kashmir. “Since the abrogation of Article 370, I have visited Kashmir thrice and it’s incredible. This inspired me to shoot my feature film, A Million Dollar Tourist, with British actors, crew from Mumbai and local actors from the Valley,” the director said, lauding South Kashmir’s suitability for film shoots and the overall safety and beauty of the region for filming. “Thanks to the new film policy, we were able to get all the necessary permissions for the film within two-three days,” the director added.