Srinagar: Renowned chef Sanjeev Kapoor on Friday termed the Kashmiri food among the top three exotic cuisines of India and said it can be added to the scenic beauty to attract more tourists to the Valley.
He said he will promote Kashmiri cuisine across the world.
“One cannot do much without food. Kashmiri food is among the top three exotic cuisines in India, Kapoor, the host of popular cookery show ‘Khana Khazana’, told reporters here.
I have tasted Kashmiri exotic food and will promote it throughout the world. There is a need of having a national campaign to promote Kashmir’s delicious food,” he said.
The famous chef is part of a 24-strong delegation from Bollywood which is on a familiarisation tour of the valley sponsored for them by the Tourism Department, Kashmir.
Representatives of various production houses expressed their desire to shoot for movies in Kashmir.
Some of the producers opined that Kashmir can easily be a shooting destination for not only domestic film industry but foreign movies as well.
Aashish Singh, who shot for Yashraj Films’ Shah Rukh Khan starter ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’ in Kashmir, said the valley provides a perfect backdrop for the filmmakers and has the potential of becoming the shooting destination for the world.
We have so much potential here for filmmaking that not only Bollywood but filmmaker’s from around the globe can shoot here,” Singh said.
He said many filmmakers want to visit Kashmir and capture breathtaking visuals.
Nitin Ahuja, CEO, Producers Guild, Mumbai, said they want to revive old relations with Kashmir when the valley used to be the favourite backdrop for the filmmakers.
We visited several locations and found them absolutely stunning. We also got overwhelming responses from the locals. The food is also amazing. The place is a complete package, he said.
CEO of Ajay Devgun Productions Meena Ayer also praised the beauty of Kashmir, saying the valley possesses a huge scope for the film tourism which needs to be tapped.
Later, the delegation interacted with Principal Secretary to Lieutenant Governor Niteshwar Kumar via video conferencing.
Kumar told the visiting delegation that J-K administration is making a policy which will facilitate and encourage filmmakers to shoot in Kashmir.