The Jammu & Kashmir government has called off the premiere of the film Lamhaa, fearing a protest from separatists.
Bollywood producer Bunty Walia is shocked, says a media report. Not in his wildest dreams had he expected that his film Lamhaa would not be allowed to premiere in Srinagar.
A large part of the film has been shot in Kashmir and stars Sanjay Dutt and Bipasha Basu amongst others.
According to a source, the film has been denied this permission by the J & K government, who fear that the separatists may object to holding any functions in aid of Lamhaa, a film about the plight of Kashmiris caught in midst of the paramilitary forces and the separatists.
When contacted, Walia confirmed the news and said, “Yes, I was told by the J & K officials that they could not allow me to hold a premiere of Lamhaa in Srinagar as they expected a backlash from the separatists.”
Walia had made all the arrangements for a grand premiere at the Sher-e-Kashmir stadium in Srinagar on July 15.
The cast and the crew of Lamhaa were told to pack their bags and get ready for the event.
Walia was so keen that he should have the premiere of Lamhaa in Srinagar since a large part of the film has been shot in the Kashmir valley. The producer had also invited the crème-de-la crème of Bollywood to attend the premiere.
An angry Walia is aghast at the fact that the J & K officials took very little time to inform them that the premiere had been cancelled there.
Also, he is doubly upset with the irony of the situation and says, “The director of Lamhaa, Rahul Dholakia, stayed in Srinagar for six months to work on this film. It is sad that we are not allowed to kickstart our film in Srinagar, which is a part of India. My beard has grown white while making this film. It has been an uphill task. This is definitely not done.”
