Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who is currently busy with the promotions of his much-awaited film Jawan, had visited Kashmir for the first time in 2012 for the shoot of Jab Tak Hai Jaan. Now, an old clip of the actor is doing the rounds in which he had revealed why he never visited the Valley.
When Shah Rukh appeared on Amitabh Bachchan's show Kaun Banega Crorepati to promote Jab Tak Hai Jaan, he had shared his experience of shooting in Kashmir.
He also revealed that his father had asked him to visit Kashmir with him, however, that never happened as he passed away when Shah Rukh was only 15 years old. It was only after his death that SRK moved to Mumbai to become an actor.
In the now-viral throwback video, Shah Rukh is seen expressing his disappointment. He shares, "My father’s mother was Kashmiri. To unhone mujhe bola tha zindagi mein teen jagah zaroor dekhna life mein, main rahun ya naa rahun. Ek Istanbul zaroor dekhna, ek Italy zaroor dekhna aur ek Kashmir hai zaroor dekhna. Lekin baaki do mere bina bhi dekh lena par Kashmir mere bina mat dekhna. So he died very early. I have been all over the world par main Kashmir kabhi nahi gaya."
He adds, "Bahut saare mauke bhi mile, Doston ne bahut bulaya, my family has been to vacation lekin main Kashmir kabhi nahi gaya. Kyunki mere father ne kaha tha Kashmir mere bina mat dekhna, Kashmir main dikhaaunga."
However, Shah Rukh reportedly said later that late filmmaker Yash Chopra was like a 'father figure' to him and he had to go to Kashmir to shoot his film Jab Tak Hai Jaan.
After visiting the Valley, Shah Rukh had reportedly tweeted, "My father's one unfulfilled wish was to bring me to Kashmir because his mom was from here. Now I am here, it feels I am in his big strong arms."
In the 1990s Shah Rukh had shot Dil Se with Manisha Koirala in Ladakh. However, he didn't visit the Valley at that time.
In April 2023, SRK also shot for Rajkumar Hirani's upcoming film Dunki in Kashmir. Reportedly, the shoot started with a song sequence at a picturesque tourist resort in Sonamarg. Several pictures and videos of Shah Rukh and his co-star Taapsee Pannu had surfaced online.
In one of the leaked videos from the outdoor sets of the film, Shah Rukh is seen wearing a red jacket with black trousers. The actors are seen filming a sequence at what appears to be a tourist spot with t-shirts and hats on sale.
Meanwhile, ahead of Jawan's release, theatres In Kashmir are houseful for the upcoming weekend. The mass hysteria around Jawan is unmatchable. In fact, when Pathaan released in January 2023, a theatre owner in Kashmir had stated that the cinema hall in the Valley was rendered housefull for the first time in 32 years.
