Vidhu Vinod Chopra has released the first teaser for his upcoming film Shikara. The film has been described as a “love letter from Kashmir” and is set against the backdrop of the mass exodus of Kashmiri Pandits who were forced to leave the Kashmir Valley in 1990. The clip opens with a glimpse of a sea of people and a voiceover that says, “on 19 January, 1990, thousands of Kashmiri Pandits had to flee the Kashmir Valley. Now, on 19 January, 2020, 30 years later, our story will finally be told.”
In March 2018, Mumbai Mirror had reported that the film was to be shot entirely in Jammu and Kashmir and went on floors in May. According to the publication, the crew shot at Wazir House in Shivpora and also visited Wandhama near Ganderbal, where 23 Kashmiri Pandits were massacred in 1998. The makers were also expected to film at the migrant camps at Jagti near Nagrota in Jammu.
The film has been directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra in association with Fox Star Studios and is expected to hit theatres on 7 February 2020. His last film was Sonam Kapoor and Anil Kapoor-starrer Ek Ladki Ko Dekha toh Aisa Laga. Chopra was also set to produce Munna Bhai 3 this year. However, the film was reportedly put on hold after Fox Star India refused to work with Rajkumar Hirani who has been accused of sexual harassment.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)