Bollywood recreates Malala’s Swat valley at Sindh valley near Sonamarg

In the freezing valley of Kashmir, Bollywood has brought a lot of activity in the Ganderbal district, especially around the Sindh valley near Sonamarg. Prominent Bollywood director Amjad Khan is busy in a shooting schedule for a biopic film, which is being made by him on the life of Malala Yousufzai, a Pakistani girl and women’s education advocate who shot to fame after being shot and critically wounded by the Taliban.

The crew of 250 people has kept the Sindh valley abuzz. According to Amjad Khan, the valley has a lot of resemblance with the Swat valley of Pakistan. “The locals and the faces resemble and I have chosen this place for the shooting after a lot of survey in the Kashmir valley,” Khan told The Sunday Guardian, during a shooting schedule on a sunny day here. Khan said that he has been moved by the hospitality of the local people. Asking other Bollywood crews to come and shoot here, Amjad Khan said that it is the most beautiful and secure place for the shooting of films. The state government has provided them adequate security during the shooting schedules in the Sindh valley. 

The film is titled Gul Makai. Actor Reem told this reporter that she has done a lot of research on Malala after she was chosen to play the lead. Many local artistes were also shooting for the film and one of them, Azad Shah, told this reporter that he was playing the role of a Pakistani general called Zubair Syed. Azad Shah said that so far 750 locals have been engaged.