Past is past, future is bright’: AR Rahman calls for more Bollywood films to be shot in Kashmir
Srinagar, Sep 12 Oscar-winning music composer A R Rahman has called for more Bollywood filmmakers and musicians to come to Kashmir, saying the industry should showcase the region’s natural beauty and peace rather than keep returning to stories of violence and the past.
Speaking to reporters at Royal spring golf course, Rahman said the Valley offered artists an uncluttered and inspiring setting and that its beauty could be reflected in films, songs and music.
“They should bring the beauty and the peace, when you see nature as a positive thing, rather than taking anything about violence or the past. The past is past, the future is bright,” Rahman said.
Rahman, who was in Kashmir for an advertisement shoot, said he had just completed the shooting and recalled his earlier association with the Valley through Rockstar.
He said local Kashmiri folk music had been recorded for the film and used in its music.
“I came here for Rockstar. I recorded the ladies singing folk songs and we used it in Rockstar, and we want to come and do more things here,” he said.
Asked about the possibility of working with Kashmiri musicians, particularly on Sufi and folk music, Rahman said he was open to the idea and hoped to return to Kashmir to perform.
“Yes, we have some plans and we are talking. Hopefully, I want to come and perform here,” he said.
Rahman also backed the idea of greater use of Kashmiri instruments and musical traditions in Bollywood, saying such collaborations could bring local sounds to a wider audience.
The composer was also asked about the use of the rabab and Kashmiri musical elements in Haider, and the wider potential for collaborations between Bollywood musicians and artists from Kashmir.
