‘Raktha Kashmira’ Brings Kashmir Back to the Big Screen After 14-Year Wait | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: After years of delay, veteran Kannada filmmaker S V Rajendra Singh Babu’s long-pending film Raktha Kashmira is finally set for a theatrical release across Karnataka this week, reviving a cinematic narrative deeply rooted in Kashmir.

Shot nearly 14 years ago, Raktha Kashmira returns to public attention at a time when conversations around Kashmir, subversion and national identity continue to shape political and cultural discourse. For Rajendra Singh Babu, a three-time National Award winner, the delay has not diluted the film’s relevance. On the contrary, he believes the passage of time has only reinforced the urgency of its message.

“This film was always meant for the big screen,” the director has said. “We made it on a large scale, with real locations and strong emotions. It was never conceived for television or digital platforms.”

At the heart of Raktha Kashmira lies Kashmir itself. The film draws inspiration from events in the Pakistani side of Kashmir as well as terror attacks in Indian cities, including Bengaluru. Rajendra Singh Babu says the story attempts to trace how terrorism affects ordinary lives across regions, from the Valley to India’s metropolitan centres.

“In our film, violence does not remain confined to Kashmir alone. Attacks also take place in cities like Bengaluru, where thousands of innocent lives are lost,” he explains. “That suffering becomes the emotional trigger that drives the hero and heroine from Bengaluru to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.”

In pursuit of authenticity, the film’s crew spent over a month shooting in Kashmir, filming at real locations and involving local children in several scenes. According to the director, the intent was to capture the emotional texture of the region rather than rely on stylised recreations. He describes Raktha Kashmira as a “patriotic family drama” grounded in lived realities.

Produced by MDM Productions, the film stars Upendra and Ramya in the lead roles, with Mars Suresh handling the statewide release. Alongside them, the cast includes Mukesh Rishi, Doddanna, Om Prakash Rao, Anil and Kuri Pratap.

One of the film’s most talked-about elements is an 18-minute special song that brings together some of the biggest names in Kannada cinema. The sequence features the late Dr Vishnuvardhan, Ambareesh and Puneeth Rajkumar, along with Shivarajkumar, Srinath, Jaggesh, Upendra, Ramesh Aravind, Darshan, Jai Jagadish and Aditya.

“This is something no one has done before,” Rajendra Singh Babu notes. “It was not easy to bring all of them together, but they supported the idea because the film speaks about the nation.”

Rajendra Singh Babu has written the story and screenplay himself, while the dialogues are by M S Ramesh. Music is composed by Gurukiran. The director maintains that despite the long delay, the core message of Raktha Kashmira has not lost its resonance.

“Every department worked with complete dedication,” he says. “Even today, the issues the film raises remain relevant.”

As Raktha Kashmira finally reaches theatres, it carries with it not just the weight of a delayed release but also a cinematic return to Kashmir, portrayed as both a geographical space and an emotional crucible shaping lives far beyond its borders.