Despite all the security precautions taken by producer Bunty Walia for the shooting of his film Lamha in Srinagar, matters did get out of hand. The film, which is being directed by Rahul Dholakia of Parzania fame, is probably the first film being shot in post militancy Jammu and Kashmir. But its shooting had reportedly been stalled due to angry mobs.
According to reports, the mob stalled the shooting of a scene which involved Bipasha Basu, who is playing a Kashmiri girl in the movie. Apparently even the cops, who were supposed to be looking out for the unit's safety and security in the state, were quite ineffectual against the mob. There aren't any reports of anyone being injured or hurt, but it seems that Bipasha had to run for her safety. Originally, the plan was to shoot the entire film in Kashmir, but the makers have shelved that idea, realizing that it would not be possible to do so. The film is supposedly a realistic take on the situation in the state: guns, militancy, etc. It seems that it is this which has got the locals suspicious. They seem to be quite touchy about how their state is being represented in the film. And Dholakia is believed to have called a press conference right after the mob incident, to explain to the locals, what the film is about and that it is not his intention to portray a wrong picture of them and their state. The majority of the film will now be shot in Mumbai's Film City. Wasiq Khan, a veteran of many a film set in Kashmir will take care of the film's look. He has previously worked in films like Yahaan and Tahaan, both set in the state. In the face of hostile reactions from the locals, this probably seems the best course of action to take.