If Haider has caught your attention with the scenic landscapes of Kashmir and the complex reality of the state, watch National Award winner Rajesh Jala’s two power-packed films — Floating Lamp of the Shadow Valley and 23 Winters. Jala, who has been a filmmaker since about two decades now, was originally a displaced Kashmiri Pundit. Uprooted in 1990 and living in a refugee camp in Delhi, Jala, who doesn’t like to bracket himself to any one genre of filmmaking, found some intriguing stories.

Floating Lamp of the Shadow Valley traces the life of a nine-year-old boy who has to fend for himself, his mother and four siblings

A child’s perspective
“Kashmir is in my heart and my soul. I find excuses to go to Kashmir. In 2005, Floating Lamp of the Shadow Valley happened when I was roaming around the backyards of Dal Lake. It was a strange coincidence. There was a seven or eight-year-old boy who was taking out water from his boat. The boat was in bad shape. He mistook me for a tourist and asked if I would like to take a ride. Yet when we started talking in Kashmiri, I realised what an interesting character he is,” says the 44-year-old.