Nabha Natesh recalls her experience of shooting at Pahalgam last year for one of her Telugu films Darling.

The world has expressed shock and anguish over the barbaric terrorist attack in Pahalgam. As condolences continue to pour in, actress Nabha Natesh is also praying for the strength of the affected families. She recalls her experience of shooting at Pahalgam last year for one of her Telugu films, Darling.

“I was shocked when I heard the news of the terror attack. It personally hit me very hard because I am very familiar and connected with the place (Pahalgam),” expresses Nabha. Adding, “I remember Pahalgam as a place of serenity and tranquility but to see a beautiful place like that being filled with bloodshed is hard to digest.”

Nabha recalls shooting for her first ever solo song in the film. The song showcases her as an independent girl and travelling across the country. And as part of the shooting, the film unit travelled to Kashmir, and shot at Pahalgam and other places for around a week. “The place is like heaven on earth,” she comments. She added, “We shot there because it was untapped and we explored an area of around 5 kms radius. The place was filled with snowfall and I was beyond words to explain the vibe.”

The actress describes her shooting experience at Pahalgam as magical. “The temperature was minus degrees and we all were freezing although we were fully covered. We shot in the interiors in the middle of the valleys surrounded by the beautiful mountains,” the actress recalls. She and her unit were not prepared to trek but they wanted to wrap up the song shooting.

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According to her, the support from the local communities has been heartening. Many locals visited the film sets and interacted with the crew. “They were speaking Kashmiri and I was trying to understand,” she smiles. She added, “Localities were trying to facilitate the tourists like us because they said that their chief income resource is from tourism.

My director told me to interact with the kids and that he would capture all the candid shots. Just being surrounded by beautiful people, mountains and picturesque locations is mystical.”

At a time when film shootings are on the rise, Pahalgam attack dents tourism significantly. Nabha states that while she cannot predict the future, for now, it’s going to be a difficult situation. “Any filmmaker doesn’t want to shoot in an unsafe atmosphere.

The attack has just happened, and the entire nation is in pain, it’s difficult to process this catastrophe. Pahalgam feels like my place because I have been there a few times, and to see that place like this being unsafe is so heart-wrenching,” Nabha shares.

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