G20 in J&K: "RRR" star Ram Charan on Monday said that Kashmir is the best place to hold the G20 meeting while speaking at the 'Film Tourism for Economic and Cultural Preservation' event in Srinagar on the sidelines of 3-day Tourism Working Group meeting of the G20 countries.
The actor said that Kashmir is the "coolest" place to shoot films in India and it is a surreal feeling to visit the Valley. The event was being conducted at Sheri Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC).
During the event, Ram Charan also danced to the tunes of Oscar winning 'Naatu Naatu' song from RRR movie.
"We love Kashmir. it is such a beautiful place. It is the best place they chose to have the G20 meeting," Ram Charan said.
"Kashmir is that kind of a place, I have been coming here since 1986, my father shot extensively here in Gulmarg and Sonamarg. I've shot in this auditorium in 2016. This place has something magical, it is such a surreal feeling coming to Kashmir, it draws the attention of everyone," Ram Charan said.
“It will sound cliche, but the coolest place to shoot in India is Kashmir. I am a second generation actor. My dad has shot extensively in Kashmir,” the actor, son of cinema veteran Chiranjeevi, said Charan said he visited Kashmir for the first time in 1986 and last shot for a movie in the Valley in 2016.
“I have shot in this auditorium (SKICC) in 2016. So, visiting Kashmir in Sumner feels like an achievement for me. This is such a surreal feeling. It has been 95 years of existence of the film industry, (but) it will take them another 95 years to explore Kashmir. It is untapped, it is virgin,” the Telugu star said, adding that he would be filming his next two features predominantly in India.
“I want to explore India more. I do not want to travel abroad for my next two movies unless the producer is from Hollywood."
"This G20 Tourism Working Group meeting will spread the message of peace, progress, and prosperity, with tourism being a key driver, particularly for culture and filmmaking. The essential aspect of this meeting will lead to greater and greater job creation in Kashmir," said G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant.
"Without private investments, we cannot become a world tourist destination. That’s why we want global and domestic investment. We are also encouraging 100% FDI under the leadership of PM Modi, including in Northeastern states and hill states," said Minister of Tourism, G. Kishan Reddy.
Further speaking about the event, Amitabh Kant said, "India is hosting the G20 presidency at a point in time when there is a lot of global turbulence. Amid all these crises, India sees the G20 as an opportunity & as the PM has said that India’s G20 presidency will be inclusive, decisive, and will be action-oriented."
"J&K is an important tourism destination. We expect around 20 million tourists to visit J&K this year. But the idea is to increase the value in terms of eco-tourism, film tourism, and adventure tourism, not only that but also to increase the number of foreign tourists coming to J&K, and that attention the G20 meeting will bring," said Harsh Vardhan Shringla, Chief Coordinator, G20 Presidency-India.
Charan's last big screen outing was the global blockbuster "RRR", directed by SS Rajamouli. The period action film won the best original song award for its Telugu track "Naatu Naatu" at this year's Oscars.
The actor will next be seen in S Shankar's feature directorial alongside Kiara Advani. The film is currently in production.
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