Over the years, a lot of Bollywood films have been shot in Kashmir. However, this is probably the first time that a film's cast and crew flew to The Valley to promote their film. What was supposed to be a marketing initiative, turned out to be much more than just that, says Jackky Bhagnani who was recently in Kashmir to promote his next film – Welcome To Karachi. "We got an invitation to visit Kashmir so we went there to do our promotional rounds. But when we arrived there and saw the warm welcome we recieved, our promotions took a backseat. While I was there, I realised that the people in the state are starved of affection and love. They were shocked to see actors in the state because no one goes there. There are no cinema halls – not even a single theatre and yet the people there are so happy to welcome actors. I got so much love from them. They treated me like Shah Rukh Khan," Jackky says.
Over the years, a lot of Bollywood films have been shot in Kashmir. However, this is probably the first time that a film's cast and crew flew to The Valley to promote their film. What was supposed to be a marketing initiative, turned out to be much more than just that, says Jackky Bhagnani who was recently in Kashmir to promote his next film – Welcome To Karachi. "We got an invitation to visit Kashmir so we went there to do our promotional rounds. But when we arrived there and saw the warm welcome we recieved, our promotions took a backseat. While I was there, I realised that the people in the state are starved of affection and love. They were shocked to see actors in the state because no one goes there. There are no cinema halls – not even a single theatre and yet the people there are so happy to welcome actors. I got so much love from them. They treated me like Shah Rukh Khan," Jackky says.
Before he reached Kashmir, he didn't know that there wasn't a single theatre there so he has decided to take it upon himself to help boost the state's revenue. "I have already committed to the ministry that we will shoot for one of our next projects in Kashmir. If we can't base the story there, then we will at least shoot a special song. I have also promised that I will make use of the local talent there. Vishal Bharadwaj's Haider had most extras from the sets from Kashmir itself. We were invited by the tourism misistry to visit their markets, guest houses and several other things. We even participated in a local laughter run with the kids. They were all almost on the verge of tears because they just couldn't believe that an actor had actually come to Kashmir."
During their stay there, the crew also ended up composing a song for the film, which they are now dedicating to the people of The Valley. Says Jackky "We came up with Mera Yaar Fantastic in Kashmir. Its a feel-good, happy-go-lucky song just like the people there so we want to dedicate it to them. We really want to do something for the state so this is a good start,"
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