The actor-duo filmed for Anurag Kashyap’s romance-drama amidst a two-day shutdown and protests over undue access to a prohibited area in the Valley
Anil Raina (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 17, 2018)

The last schedule of Anurag Kashyap’s Manmarziyaan, which took off in the J&K health resort town of Sonamarg last week, has had to weather several glitches. The arrival of Abhishek Bachchan, who plays the lead alongside Taapsee Pannu and Vicky Kaushal in the Aanand L Rai production, in Sonamarg coincided with separatists calling for a two-day shutdown. And while the actor was stopped at Srinagar airport for half an hour, a source from the film’s unit reported that he had a good time in the Valley.

“Police officials briefed Abhishek about the security situation when he landed in Srinagar. Because of the shutdown, all roads leading to Sonamarg were blocked at several places,” the source informed. After spending some time in the airport’s VIP lounge, Bachchan Jr was escorted to the location with heavy security by the state police.

As Taapsee and Abhishek filmed in the Thajiwas area amidst wildlife huts, the unit raised the hackles of local tour guides who protested on account of the film’s team being granted access to the Thajiwas glacier. In September 2017, the Sonamarg Development Authority had banned vehicular movement on the Sonamarg-Thajiwas road stretch following a J&K High Court order, which had held that it is imperative to maintain the scenic beauty of the resort-town. The move was preceded by a report that revealed that the Thajiwas glacier has receded 388 meters in the last 100 years due to fossil fuel in motored vehicles and the burning of woody biomass in the makeshift restaurants, tea stalls in the vicinity, which contributed to higher levels of black carbon. “The High Court had banned vehicles towards the Thajiwas area. How are these film stars with vehicles and crew allowed to venture there?” Wajid Ahmad Bhat, a local guide, questioned. Mirror reached out to Sonamarg Development Authority but they remained unavailable for comment.