Putting Sonamarg on the winter tourism map, one reel at a time

A view of the decorated ‘Z-Morh’ Sonmarg tunnel that connects Gagangir and Sonamarg on the Srinagar-Leh highway, in Ganderbal.
| Photo Credit: ANI

Every evening, in his small hamlet in the Himalayan foothills of central Kashmir’s Sonamarg, Tanveer Ahmad Lone, 19, dives into online cinematography courses. During the day, Mr. Lone puts his training into practice, joining around 100 other young men who double up as reel-makers, a lucrative new profession that is quickly gaining popularity among the tourist guides and local youth.

This was the first winter that Sonamarg remained open to tourists, thanks to the 6.5-km Z-Morh tunnel inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January. With its pristine slopes, adrenaline-pumping passes, and snow-laden glaciers now accessible in winters, reel-making — mostly for tourists — has emerged as a buzzing business among local youth.

Lucrative business

These reel-makers curate romantic scenes for visiting couples and feel-good family reunions, and juxtapose them with peppy songs from Bollywood movies. “We charge ₹250 per reel, which is Instagrammable. Each reel is 30 seconds long. A group of 18 reels costs ₹2,500,” Mr. Lone, who is also a college student, told The Hindu.

Most reel-makers earn between ₹20,000 to ₹40,000 per month thanks to the growing tourist footfall. “More than 100 boys are into reel-making from Sonamarg now. It proved to be a lucrative business this winter. I plan to enhance my skills by taking up more courses online,” Mr. Lone added.

Retakes at hotspots

The most famous spots for reel-making are the frozen edges of the Sindh river flowing through Sonamarg, and the higher reaches of the Thajiwas glacier, which has a green treeline contrasting with the blanket of snow on the ground. The locations used in two popular Bollywood movies shot in Sonamarg — the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Dunki, and the Salman Khan-starrer Bajrangi Bhaijaan — are also high on tourist wishlists.

These days, it’s common to spot tourists walking down the snow trails for retakes directed by reel-makers looking for a better background. It takes reel-makers just 10 minutes to deliver the final product to their customers.

Sparking curiosity

“We want tourists’ stay to become memorable in Sonamarg. This also helps in promoting Sonamarg across the country as a new winter destination in Kashmir. These tourists post these reels on social media and spark more curiosity about the place,” said Khusheed Mir, another reel-maker.

“The Z-Morh tunnel has given a new lease of life to winter tourism in Sonamarg. Earlier, tourist arrivals would stop every winter when landslides and snow avalanches would cut off the tourist spots on the Gund area road. More than 122 families living in Sonamarg would also shift to safer locations in winters,” Mr. Mir added.

In a short span of time, the reel-makers are already creating a mark for themselves. Farhad Lone, who uses the farhad_sonmarg handle on Instagram, already has 1.1 million followers for his reels. “Tourists pick spots from these reels and pre-book us,” Mr. Mir said.