Bollywood returns to Darjeeling

Within days of the West Bengal government reaching an agreement with Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM), Bollywood returned to the picturesque Darjeeling hills Wednesday for a film shoot after an eight-year gap.

The shooting of Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra starrer “Barfee’ was held at Ghum station of Darjeeling. The film is being directed by Anurag Basu.

The film is a romantic murder mystery and will be shot at various locations in Darjeeling in two segments.

The first segment will be till the end of June, while shooting for the second segment will start from the last week of August and continue till mid-September.

The few shots featuring Ranbir were taken Wednesday. Priyanka is scheduled to join the shooting June 25.

The last film to be shot in Darjeeling was Shah Rukh Khan’s “Main Hoon Naa” in 2003.

Many nationally and internationally acclaimed films have been shot in Darjeeling, including Satyajit Ray’s “Kanchenjunga”, Saif Ali Khan’s “Parineeta” and Anjan Dutta’s “Chalo Lets Go”.

But shooting for both Hindi and Bengali movies stopped after Bimal Gurung-led GJM organised a violent movement for the creation of a separate state of Gorkhaland.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced June 7 that the issue of a separate Gorkhaland has been resolved and an agreement signed. However, the GJM said it has not gone back on its demand and called the agreement the “foundation of a separate state”.