Veteran Bollywood actor Tom Alter turned nostalgic when he came to shoot in the Valley after 32 years. He had last shot in Kashmir in 1984 for Raj Kapoor’s “Ram Teri Ganga Maili”.
“I have been coming to Kashmir for the past 60 years. I have a special connection with the Valley, I even learnt swimming in the Dal Lake. I come with a message of love and I leave with a message of love,” Alter told reporters here today after completing his shoot for “Sargoshiyan” at Gulmarg in north Kashmir.
The movie, produced by Imran Khan, is being shot extensively in the Valley and has a cast of well-known actors, including Fareeda Jalal, Alok Nath, Shahbaz Khan, Khalid Siddiqui and Sara Afreen Khan. It is the first crew to come here after the late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed invited Bollywood bigwigs in Mumbai last year for the promotion of Kashmir tourism.
Commenting on his shooting at Gulmarg, Alter said his experience had been “fantastic” and “felt like heaven”.
When asked about the “stereotyping” of Kashmir and Kashmiris in Bollywood, he said other communities too had been stereotyped by the film industry. He said Kashmiris should go to Mumbai and make films and that was the best way to clear misconceptions.
Imran Khan said “Sargoshiyan” would not stereotype Kashmir and it did not contain any violence. “The characters are Kashmir-based who are here to learn about life. Tom Alter is playing the role of an international photographer,” he added.
I have special connect with Valley, learnt swimming at Dal Lake: Tom
