Love for Kashmir: ‘Junooniyat’ director on why he chose to shoot in the valley

Pulkit Samrat and Yami Gautam romancing on a bed of Chinar leaves

Director Vivek Agnihotri, who wrapped up the Kashmir shoot of Junooniyat last week, said his decision to shoot at that particular time in the beautiful valley was because of two reasons. It is the only time in the year when the majestic Chinar trees, very distinct to Kashmir, shed their striking red and orange leaves—a breathtaking sight that he wanted to capture.

“This happens for only 15 days in a year and as soon as the season arrived, we were in Kashmir to capture the beauty. I shot several scenes and a romantic track there as my hero Pulkit Samrat’s character, an army man is based in Kashmir,” said Agnihotri.

According to the director, it was also the time when the Dal lake was enveloped in a thick fog cover, which looked like a huge white screen.

“Unless there is a shikara in the water, it is so still and serene, that it is hard to believe that there is a lake out there. I wanted to capture these stunning visuals of the valley in my film,” revealed the director who has now shifted base to Amritsar for the next schedule.

Junooniyat is produced by Bhushan Kumar.