No Fathers In Kashmir director Ashvin Kumar: No one wanted to back film

A still from the film

After months of struggle, Ashvin Kumar's No Fathers In Kashmir received a U/A certificate from the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) last week. The director reveals that right from the film's inception, he struggled to find producers, owing to the story's political undercurrent. Set against the backdrop of conflict in Kashmir, the movie revolves around two teenagers searching for their fathers who have gone missing.

Ashvin Kumar

"Even though it went on to win the Asia Pacific Screen Academy Screenwriters Development award, no one wanted to back the film," recounts Kumar, who then resorted to crowdfunding.

"I raised funds on Kickstarter, where I reached out to Kashmiris worldwide for investments. Our executive producers Yasmin and Khalid Naqushbandi put together a group from the UK. Soon, Varoon Vesuna [primary investor] came on board, and we managed to get the money together," says the director, who waived off his fee to give shape to his passion project. His relief at having amassed funds was short-lived.

"The production in Kashmir had to be shut down as curfew followed Burhan Wani's killing in June 2016. After we restarted shoot, I would keep fearing that we would have to shut down again."

Also Read: Alia Bhatt launches the teaser of her mother's much-awaited film No Fathers In Kashmir

Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates