| From Ehsaas-e-Kashmir to Rang-e-Cinema: Thirteen Years, Four Kilometres, One Question | | | Dr S. Bashir Ahmad Veeri
On September 7, 2013, maestro Zubin Mehta conducted the Bavarian State Orchestra at Shalimar Bagh in Ehsaas-e-Kashmir. On September 7, 2026, barely four kilometres away, the International Film Festival of Jammu & Kashmir opened at SKICC under the title Rang-e-Cinema. Thirteen years apart, these two evenings offer more than a coincidence of date and geography. They invite a larger question: what does Kashmir actually inherit from spectacular cultural events once the applause fades?
I attended the inauguration of IFFJK-26 at SKICC inaugurated by the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in presence of Dr Farooq Abdullah, Dr Jitender Singh, Several Governors & dignitaries. The atmosphere was markedly different from that of 2013. Filmmakers, artists, political leaders, administrators and guests from different parts of India and abroad gathered for a festival reportedly featuring 135 films from 41 countries. It was an ambitious cultural initiative and, undoubtedly, an opportunity to reconnect Jammu and Kashmir with an industry with which it has shared a long and intimate association.
Yet the evening took me back to Ehsaas-e-Kashmir-2013. I remember Beethoven, Haydn and Tchaikovsky reverberating against the Zabarwan range and Dal Lake, even as the Valley remained politically tense and under extraordinary security arrangements. A shutdown had been called and the concert itself was restricted to an invited audience.
The contrast with 2026 is significant. Kashmir’s social and security environment has changed considerably. But has our understanding of cultural development changed equally?
There is nothing inherently wrong with grand cultural events. They can project confidence, encourage tourism, facilitate international exchange and challenge stereotypes. Music and cinema can communicate across borders more effectively than many official pronouncements. A festival of international cinema can place Kashmir in conversations far beyond its geographical boundaries.
But cultural visibility is not the same as cultural development.
This distinction becomes important when a region is repeatedly chosen as the stage for high-profile spectacles. It is legitimate to ask whether these occasions primarily create enduring opportunities for local artists, businesses and young people, or whether Kashmir sometimes functions principally as a visually compelling backdrop for messages intended for audiences elsewhere.
The answer should be measured not by the grandeur of an inauguration but by the ecosystem left behind.
Kashmir has been one of India’s most celebrated film locations for decades. Its mountains, lakes, gardens and meadows have supplied visual poetry to generations of filmmakers. Yet being a film location is fundamentally different from becoming a film destination. A genuine film destination requires trained local crews, production managers, location specialists, equipment suppliers, editors, sound engineers, costume designers, post-production facilities and institutions capable of nurturing talent.
Kashmir’s lost cinema culture makes this challenge still more compelling. With the onset of militancy, numerous cinema halls closed and most never reopened. Their disappearance represented more than the loss of commercial properties. Cinema halls create audiences, sustain employment, encourage artistic expression and provide communities with shared cultural spaces. Their absence weakened an entire ecosystem.
IFFof-26 can help rebuild that ecosystem, but only if it becomes more than an annual event.
The real test is what happens after September. Does a young filmmaker attending a masterclass find mentorship in October? Does a promising script receive development assistance? Does a trained technician secure professional work? Do producers return to Kashmir because local expertise is available? Do Kashmiri stories reach national and international festivals?
These outcomes matter more than the number of films screened or celebrities who attend.
The economic possibilities are equally substantial. A sustainable film industry can generate employment in hospitality, transport, catering, crafts, design and specialised technical services. Independent films, documentaries, regional cinema and streaming productions can complement commercial filmmaking. Films themselves can become enduring ambassadors for tourism, allowing audiences to discover Kashmir through stories rather than publicity campaigns.
For that to happen, IFFJK-26 should become the annual summit of a year-round creative economy. Jammu and Kashmir needs streamlined film permissions, a comprehensive location database, trained local crews, production incentives, equipment facilities, script-development laboratories, specialised training, student fellowships, short-film grants, post-production infrastructure and the revival of suitable cinema spaces.
Public investment in culture is entirely justified when it creates institutions, livelihoods and opportunity. Its success, however, must ultimately be judged by outcomes rather than optics.
The comparison with Ehsaas-e-Kashmir is not a criticism of either event. They belong to different artistic forms and historical circumstances. Their proximity instead provides a useful benchmark. A spectacular evening can alter perceptions for a few hours. A functioning institution can alter possibilities for generations.
As I left SKICC, the two September evenings remained connected in my mind: Zubin Mehta’s music travelling across Dal Lake in 2013 and Rang-e-Cinema illuminating SKICC in 2026. Thirteen years and four kilometres separate them. The real measure of that distance should be what Kashmir builds between such spectacles.
If, years from now, a young filmmaker can say, “I found my opportunity here,” IFFJK-26 will have achieved something far more consequential than a successful festival.
Hopefully, this time, the lights will not go out when the festival ends.
Dr. S. Bashir Ahmad Veeri is a serving legislator from South Kashmir’s Bijbehara constituency and writes occasionally on public policy and governance. |
|
