‘Haider’ shoot cut short after Kashmir varsity students protest Bollywood director, Vishal Bhardwaj, had pack up after University of Kashmir students objected to a scene depicting the hoisting of Indian flag for his upcoming film ‘Haider’ which was being shot in the campus on Sunday. Students of the varsity objected to the shooting of ‘Haider’ in the campus and held anti-India protests during which police briefly detained ‘four protesters’. The shooting for Shahid Kapoor starrer ‘Haider’—began early morning, a student, who pleaded anonymity, told Kashmir Dispatch. “At around 5: 00 am, the film crew, nearly two hundred forces personal appeared in the Naseem Bagh side near hostel,” he said. The protests started as soon as the crew arrived and the protests escalated around noon. “They set the stage and they had to shoot a shot in which they were to raise the Indian flag,” the student claimed, adding: “How could we allow them to raise India flag.” The varsity, these days, is conducting internal exams of various departments and students accused authorities of ‘disturbing academic environment’. “We don’t understand what they want. They know we can’t tolerate the hoisting of Indian flag in the university campus,” said another student. The students held strong protest in the campus and opposed the shooting of the film, witnesses said. However, government forces deployed in the campus, resorted to cane charging and chased the agitating students, they alleged. “Policemen thrashed us ruthlessly and chased us. They even entered our hostel and detained four boys,” a student, while speaking to Kashmir Dispatch over phone, said. Despite several attempts Public Relation Officer of the varsity couldn’t be contacted. However, a police officer of Nigeen Police Station admitted that trouble erupted during the shooting of the film in the campus. “Some miscreants disrupted the shooting of the film. They resorted to sloganeering and tried to disrupt.” He, however, denied the cane charging, but said police detained two students. “We released them immediately,” he said. The students accused varsity authorities of ‘collaborating with the filmmakers and fomenting trouble’.The situation in the campus was tense till last reports came in. Actor Shahid Kapoor began shooting for Bhardwajs Haider in the scenic Dal Lake here about two weeks ago. The 32-year-old actor, who is teaming up with Bhardwaj again after Kaminey, is starring opposite newbie actress Shraddha Kapoor in the film adaption of Shakespearean tragedy Hamlet. Over the past few years, Bollywood has returned to Kashmir. Late filmmaker Yash Chopra shot large parts of his last movie Jab Tak Hai Jaan, starring Shah Rukh Khan and Katrina Kaif, here. However, the portrayal of Kashmir and its people in some of the movies has left the locals including chief minister Omar Abdullah angry. But Bhardwaj has assured Omar that Haider is about the people of Kashmir. The director, referring to meeting with Omar, said he told the chief minister that every character is Kashmiri in my film. It is the story of the people of Kashmir--both in period and present.
Posted on: Sun, 24 Nov 2013 12:14:29 +0000
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