Vidhu Vinod Chopra is home: Filmmaker returns to direction in hometown Srinagar for film based on Kashmiri Pandits exodus

Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s brand new project rumoredly titled Love and Letters, that essays the 1990s exodus of Kashmiri Pandits, has started rolling in Srinagar. [caption id=“attachment_4381525” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Vidhu Vinod Chopra. Image from Twitter/@DesiChicFashion[/caption] This project also marks the return of the director to his hometown Srinagar, post Hrithik Roshan and Preity Zinta-starrer Mission Kashmir (2000). The story of this new project has been weaved together by Chopra and a local Kashmiri writer. The core team is currently stationed at the Wazir House in Shivpora, reports Mumbai Mirror. The same report states that confirming the news, a government official said that the filmmaker has ensured that all sort of protocols are followed and fetched all permissions to shoot in Kashmir with his team. The official also added that Chopra and his crew would be considered as their top priority as far as security and other issues are concerned. The same report states that the film features a number local popular faces like Zameer Ashai, Shahid Gulfam and Imran. The leading man is from Bhopal and the young actress from the Bhaderwah area of Jammu region. The director, who was born and raised in Srinagar, has decided to use a number of local talents. While speaking on the same, assistant-director Asheish Nijhawan informed PTI, “Most of the actors will be fresh faces. Kashmiris, young and old, males, females and kids, will be hired for the shooting.” The Mumbai Mirror report states that the actors are majorly shooting in the night. They recently visited Wandhama near Ganderbal where many Kashmiri Pandits, women and children, were murdered. The next destination for Chopra and his Love Letters team would be Jammu’s Jagti near Nagrota where the refugee camps were set up. As soon as the first schedule wraps up, the Munna Bhai MBBS producer would start his second leg of the shooting in May.