Actor Aamir Bashir, who has won accolades for his role as a gritty cop in Bollywood’s “A Wednesday” and the emotional drama, “The Great Indian Butterfly”, turns director with his film “Harud” (Autumn), screening at the ongoing Dubai International Film Festival.
Emirates 24|7 caught up with debutante director to talk Kashmir and why he could never live there again.
If you were to sum up the story of “Harud” in one line, what would you say?
“Harud” is a metaphor that describes the psychological decay that Kashmir has endured in the last 20 years.
Is the premise of the film – a family’s struggle to come to terms with their missing son – something that is commonplace in Kashmir?
Since the unrest in Kashmir, which started post 1989, nearly 80,000 people have died, according to unofficial statistics, while the whereabouts of another 10,000 is unknown.
If you look at the bigger picture, then everybody in the valley has been directly or indirectly affected by the turmoil in the state.
I just felt this was a story – with all its subtle layering – that needed to be told, which is far removed from the loud films that Indian cinema is known for.
What difficulties, if any, did you face while filming in Kashmir?
You know, filmmakers have a tendency to romanticise a lot, but contrary to popular belief, it was not at all difficult and the entire film was shot in Kashmir because of this.
The basic problem that we faced was the lack of trust on Kashmir towards people with a camera.
As for security threats, there was certainly none; but we were a small unit, minus the big vanity vans that stars sport.
It’s a bit hard to fathom that there was no drama during your entire shoot…?
Well, on the last day of shoot, there was a protest march in the city centre, where we had set up the unit, and press photographers were out there in droves.
The march was led by parents and family members of people whose whereabouts are unknown and the cops arrived on the scene and started beating some with sticks.
Of course, we were blamed for the riot.
For someone who was born and raised in Kashmir, how difficult is it emotionally to return to the state amidst this strife?
I left Kashmir in 1989, just when the unrest began. But it wasn’t because of the rebellion within the state that caused me to leave, but rather my own that wanted to pursue a degree of my choice.
To be honest, I don’t find Kashmir beautiful anymore. I can’t stay there for too long because I find it extremely oppressive. I mean there’s no place you can go where soldiers and guns are not on display.
Do you feel the Kashmir issue will ever be solved in our lifetime?
Not in our lifetime. The state has had many opportunities to gain the trust of its people but it has somehow managed to bungle it up.
I mean, every major incident that occurs has seen the state not issue justice, with the most recent example being the Shopian case where two women were raped and murdered [the 2009 incident saw the Central Reserve Police Force of India as the main accused].
The evidence was there, and everyone in the valley knew the truth, but the Chief Minister still went on record saying these women drowned. What he failed to leave out was that the water was not a flowing river but an ankle-deep stream. You do the math.
The film screens tonight at Mall of the Emirates at 10pm and again on Thursday at the same venue at 1pm. Tickets Dh25