Ashvin Kumar has launched a drive on online crowdfunding platform Kickstarter to raise funds for 'Noor' -- which he describes as a "historic" project to correct the one-sided narrative on Kashmir.
"At heart it is a coming of age story of two teenagers, which is a good way to talk about Kashmir, with the lightness and optimism of youth. I want to make this film to show people the human side of what's going on in Kashmir; to change the narrative so that they can understand there is still hope," said Kumar during his recent visit to the UK.
Kumar has been holding auditions across the UK for the 16-year-old lead character of a British Kashmiri for his film.
The Kickstarter campaign offers people in the UK, especially those with ties to Kashmir, to get involved with as little as 5 pounds or as much as 5,000 pounds.
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Each contribution comes with an opportunity to be actively involved in the project, by being offered free tickets to screenings or even a role in the film.
The target is to raise around 74,000 pounds of an estimated budget of 400,000 pounds for the film.
The fundraising drive coincides with a tour of the UK, including cities like London, Bradford, Manchester and Birmingham, to hold screenings of his documentary on Kashmir titled 'Inshallah, Football', which was banned in India but later went on to win the National Film Award in 2012.
Kumar, the son of Indian fashion designer Ritu Kumar, has his roots in Kashmir and believes 'Noor' is an important film to be made.
"The conflict in Kashmir has claimed more than a 100,000 lives so far, of which 10,000 are 'disappeared' people - civilians whose disappearance cannot be explained. Recently, mass graves have been discovered. These may contain the remains of some of the 'disappeared'. Their existence is deeply troubling in a modern democracy. But the blow is hardest for the survivors, particularly women and children," he says.