A special screening of *Baramulla* was organized for the press at a preview theatre in Mumbai. This was followed by an interactive session featuring Ruchikaa Kapoor Sheikh, Director of Original Films at Netflix India; producers Aditya Dhar and Lokesh Dhar; director Aditya Suhas Jambhale; writer Monal Thaakar; and actor Bhasha Sumbli.
**Aditya Dhar on How Real-Life Journeys Shape a Filmmaker’s Stories**
Aditya Dhar, who is also one of the writers of the film alongside Monal Thaakar, shared insights about his creative process. He explained, “For all of us filmmakers, whatever films we make, it all comes from our past and our life experiences. Those who have had good life experiences become Sooraj Barjatya! Those who go through difficult life experiences become Anurag Kashyap.”
He added, “*Baramulla* is something that is very personal to me, being a Kashmiri. But the whole point was that even a lot of Kashmiri Muslims have suffered. It would be absolutely wrong to say that only Kashmiri Pandits have felt the pain.”
Aditya further highlighted the challenges faced by Kashmiri Muslims, especially those serving in the police force. “I know a lot of Kashmiri Muslims, who are my friends. They are in the police force and are doing a phenomenal job in Kashmir. One of the most difficult places in India to be a cop is Kashmir. In every other place in India, you don’t have a threat to life. Kashmir is the only place in India where any terrorist can come and shoot you from behind. This doesn’t happen anywhere else in the country. The cops out there are one of the most patriotic bunch of people that I have seen.”
He went on to say, “I attempted to tell this story where I combine what Kashmiri Pandits experience and what these patriotic Kashmiri Muslims are experiencing right now, especially when the latter are being termed as traitors. This was a small thought and was written way back in 2016. I even forgot about it as time passed.”
Aditya recalled the challenges he faced while trying to sell the script. “When I tried selling the script, toh kisi ne mujhe bahut gande paise offer kiye the (someone offered me very little money). This is when I made up my mind that I would not sell this subject for a pittance and that I would make this film the right way.”
*Baramulla* is backed by Jio Studios and B62 Studios and is set to release on Netflix on November 7.
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