Srinagar, July 25: Producer Naaz Kazi and the Khuda Gawah fame-actor Ali Khan arrived here in Srinagar on Monday for their newest project titled “At Last.”
The duo held a press conference where they explained the film and talked about their motivations behind making it.
Naaz Kazi recalled how someone in Switzerland told her that Kashmir is a much better location and it motivated her to visit Kashmir and see it for herself.
“A fear has been instilled among us since childhood regarding Kashmir but upon visiting this place, I found none of that to be true. That is when I decided I want to make a project here.”, she said.
Actor Ali Khan, who will be seen in Gadar 2 next month is going to play the film’s antagonist. He joked that he has always played a villain and that stamp has left a mark on him.
“We prayed at Hazratbal on Monday for At Last’s success and I hope you all will like it,” he said while talking to the media about his role in the film.
The film will begin its shooting after August 15 and is based on ‘the happenings’ in Jammu & Kashmir.
Describing the film, Naaz said, “The film is military and militant based, but it is more than that. I want to promote Kashmir’s culture, skills, craft, and traditions… The USP of the film is ‘Ikhlaas, Mohhabat, Insaaniyat’ (Sincerity, Love, and Humanity). There are so many locations in Kashmir that even Indians don’t know. I want to create awareness about them.”
Naaz also thanked the Kashmir administration saying that all her work was done without any trouble or delay. “I want to express my gratitude to the administration for being very helpful. I was treated with respect in every office I went to and all my paperwork was done smoothly.”
The film will have a 70% Kashmiri crew making it a film “of all Kashmiris” as pointed out by the producer. “We have Kashmiri singers, make-up artists, and costume designers in our crew with whom I am glad to work,” she said.
The film will be directed by Lawrence D’Souza and includes Shakti, Zareen Khan, Jennifer Winget, and Fayaz Ali Khan along with others in its star cast.
“Directors and producers should come here and make films. The will also give jobs to locals. Naaz has started this process and I believe it should be followed through by others as well”, Ali said.
