'Jawan' screened at The Himalayan Film Festival, audience excited to watch SRK on big screen

Endless queues and chants of 'love you, SRK' were some of the highlights at the screening of superstar Shah Rukh Khan's latest release Jawan, which was showcased on a big screen on the second day of The Himalayan Film Festival (THFF) here.

Around 400 audience members were in attendance to watch the pan-India film at an auditorium at Leh's Sindhu Sanskriti Kendra, an arts centre surrounded by the Himalayan range.

Directed by Atlee, 'Jawan' closed the second day of THFF. The film also stars Nayanthara and Vijay Sethupathi with Deepika Padukone in a special appearance.

Tashi Dawa, one of the viewers, said he was waiting to watch 'Jawan' on the big screen.

'There's a small theatre here in Leh with a small screen. When we found out that Jawan will be shown on a big screen at the Himalayan Film Festival, we didn't go to the small theatre and instead waited for this day to come. We are getting an opportunity to watch this blockbuster movie at over 11,000 feet, so it's great,' Dawa told PTI.

Zaheer Abbas Dardistani, an amateur filmmaker, said he missed out on watching Jawan in a cinema hall when he returned to Leh following his graduation from Pune's Film and Television Institute of India (FTII).

'I came back two months ago after completing my course at FTII, that's why I wasn't able to catch 'Jawan' in theatres there. Here in Ladakh, we don't have a big screen theatre. So, it was a golden chance that this festival will screen 'Jawan' here at a big screen,' he added.

As a filmmaker, Dardistani said watching films is akin to reading books.

'Both 'Jawan' and Shah Rukh Khan hold a lot of importance in my heart. We learn a lot from Shah Rukh sir and his story of struggle. He gives us hope to keep hustling in the film industry. I never miss his interviews too.' Asked if he was an SRK fan, Dawa said 'Dil se (from the heart)', in a reference to the star's 1998 film.

'I'm a diehard Shah Rukh fan. 'Dil se fan hain.' When SRK was shooting for 'Dil Se' here, we would try to follow the team to watch him on the film sets wherever we could. My recent favourite movie of his is 'Pathaan',' he added.

Jawan” released worldwide on September 7 in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. The film outlines “the emotional journey of a man who is set to rectify the wrongs in the society”. It stars Shah Rukh in the dual role of Vikram Rathore and his son Azad.

Stanzin Idzes, who is a student, said as someone who grew up watching Shah Rukh's films, she is excited to see 'Jawan'.

'There's something about Shah Rukh... The way I am able to connect with him, it's something else,' added Idzes, whose favourite SRK films include 'Om Shanti Om' and 'Kal Ho Na Ho'.

What's also heartening for Dardistani was to see Kenny Deori Basumatary play a significant role in 'Jawan', thus representing the Northeastern and Himalayan region in a pan-India film. Basumatary, an Assamese actor and filmmaker, will also screen his film 'Local Utpaat' at THFF on Sunday.

'We need more faces from the Northeastern and Himalayan region in Indian films. After Danny Denzongpa (who hails from Sikkim), no one seems to have done that well. They should get more work. This is how you bring diversity and spread love,' Dardistani added.

THFF is organised by the Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) of the Administration of Union Territory of Ladakh, in collaboration with Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh.

The film gala will come to a close on October 3.