Imtiaz Ali’s love for Kashmir is very apparent. Besides shooting vast portions of Rockstar and Highway in the state, Ali has also made a short film ‘Window Seat In Kashmir’.
As part of a recent campaign to promote tourism in Jammu and Kashmir, Ali has penned an emotional post on Hindustan Times, about his experience in the state. He dubbed Kashmir as ‘the warmest place on earth’ and began to recount an experience he had while visiting the area as a ninth standard student.
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Kashmir is heaven on earth, Ali says, not just because of its scenery but also because of the warmth and hospitality of its people.
Ali wrote:
We stayed in Srinagar at the Tourist Reception Centre. There was a clerk level young man there who was helping us make our plans in Kashmir. I think his name was Irshad. Irshad must be in his twenties. Dad interacted a lot with him and he, like all Kashmiris would, went out of his way to make our trip the best. And then he really went out of his way, as I later realized, all Kashmiris would.
The clerk invited Ali and his family to his home for dinner. Ali’s father reluctantly agreed as Irshad would not take no for an answer. Instead of waiting at a bus stop for the family, Irshad travelled all the way to Sonamarg (where Ali and his family had travelled to that day) as it would make things comfortable for them.
And when he said ‘dinner’ we did not know what that meant in Kashmir. Irshad and his poor family had organized for us about which we had no idea before – the waazvaan. It’s the most lavish dinner you will ever have.
Ali says that it is because of people like Irshad that he feels like he owes Kashmiris a huge debt.