Srinagar, December 16 : After featuring in several film festivals across the globe, award-winning movie ‘Half Widow’ is all set for release early next month. Shot in the Valley, the release of the film is expected to bring some cheers to the almost defunct film industry in Kashmir.
Half Widow, which got the “Audience Choice Best Feature Film Award” at the South Asian International Film Festival-2017, is being released on January 6.
“Finally, the award winning and critically acclaimed film – Half Widow will release on January 6 at various cities like Mumbai, Chandigarh, Delhi and Jammu. It may just be another release but it means a lot for a film shot in Kashmir….having a Kashmiri director and actors….since no cinema halls function in Kashmir and just a very few films of Kashmir have so far had a pan-India release,” lead actor of the film, Mir Sawar said.
Sarwar, who has acted in several Bollywood movies like Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Dishoom, Jolly LLB and Kesari among others, said he was hopeful that the release of the film would encourage young Kashmiri actors and film-makers besides help in reviving cinema in Kashmir.
The cinema halls in Kashmir had shut soon after the eruption of militancy around 30 years ago. Efforts to reopen the halls later did not meet with much success. Film and art related activities have taken a backseat in the Valley ever since militancy erupted.
Director of the film Danish Renzu said the film revolved around the struggles of a woman whose husband disappears. “Half Widow is a breathtaking tale of a Kashmiri woman whose happy life takes a drastic turn as her husband is made to disappear, and then her brother loves and protects here in her struggle as a half widow,” said Renzu.
Kashmiri actress Neelofar Hamid plays the role of the half widow in the film.
