Srinagar: For decades, Kashmir and Bollywood shared an inseparable bond. Long before Switzerland became Bollywood’s favorite destination for snow-clad romantic sequences, it was the hills, lakes, and houseboats of Kashmir that served as the backdrop for unforgettable songs and love stories in Hindi cinema.
Although this relationship was strained when terrorism gained a foothold in the 1980s, things have now turned around. From September 7 to 10, 2026, Jammu & Kashmir is hosting its first International Film Festival (IFFJK). Around 135 films from nearly 50 countries are being screened at the festival. As India celebrates this historic milestone, let’s take a look back at Kashmir’s decades-long connection with Bollywood:
When Kashmir was Bollywood’s ‘Switzerland’
Kashmir’s connection with cinema dates back several decades. One of the first popular films to bring Kashmir’s beauty to the silver screen was Raj Kapoor’s ‘Barsaat’ (1949). Shot extensively in Kashmir, the movie brought the valley’s stunning visuals to a massive audience. However, Shammi Kapoor is the star most deeply associated with Kashmir. While movies like ‘Junglee’ and ‘Kashmir Ki Kali’ turned the valley into a hub of romance and music, ‘Jab Jab Phool Khile’ made Dal Lake and its houseboats an integral part of silver-screen romance.
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