Filmmaker speaks of huge challenges as Kashmir film tours UK

The writer-director of a new film set in Kashmir has spoken of the huge challenges in the filmmaking process as its UK tour concluded this week.

Ashvin Kumar said No Fathers in Kashmir' was born out of an urge to address some of his deep concerns over the conflict-torn region and to connect emotionally with its heart.

I became deeply concerned with the crisis of passion in India and Pakistan and the rest of the world over the issue, as complexities were being squeezed into tweets, and I really wanted to connect emotionally with the heart of Kashmir, said Kumar, who also plays a key character of Arshid in the film.

The film was mostly filmed in Kashmir, which came with some huge challenges as we shot amid curfews and lockdown, he said, following one of the final UK screenings in London on Thursday.

The film centres around the character of teenager Noor, played by UK-based actress Zara Webb, as she visits her birthplace of Kashmir with her mother and finds herself getting drawn into the