The shooting of the film Mere Apnay, starring Amrish Puri, Mukul Dev and Mayuri Kango -- written, directed and produced by Rattan Irani -- began today. For the denizens of Gulmarg, it was a welcome change of scene as reel-life glamour pushed the memories of real-life gun battles into the background.

"My deep-rooted fears were washed away by the breathtaking beauty of snow-clad mountains and verdant meadows," rhapsodised actress Mayuri.

Gulmarg used to be the favourite location for filmwalllahs until the shadows of militancy grew longer and the valley of snow evoked images of terror. The last film shot here was Elan-e-Jung starring Dharmendra in 1988-89.

When Gulmarg regained its glamour, the residents just could not wait any longer. Such was the enthusiasm that two nearbyschools were forced to announce a holiday as the students refused to stay in class. The teachers could not suppress their curiosity either. "I had forgotten such scenes here," said a teacher.

The film is a romantic tale of a Kashmiri Muslim boy and a Kashmiri Hindu girl. More than 70 per cent of it will be shot in the Valley.

"Someone, after all, had to take the initiative. Besides, the story demanded that we take the chance of coming to Kashmir," said Irani. "We found the situation and the atmosphere much better than our expectations but we are still taking all precautions," he said.

The state government is also taking the opportunity to send out the message that the situation is on the mend. Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah is taking personal interest to ensure that filming goes off without any untoward incident and has deputed a contingent of police and security forces for the unit's security.

"We don't feel insecure but we are alert. The presence of the security net around us is just a precautionarymeasure," said Amrish Puri who plays the role of a Kashmiri Pandit and father of the heroine.

Said Mayuri, who plays the role of Kashmiri Pandit girl, ``This is my first visit to Kashmir and I feel as if it is a dream. I am particularly delighted by the beauty of the landscape and the warmth of the people. It is really a paradise where you can shoot anywhere here as all the locations seem virgin,'' she said. ``The only question that comes to mind is: how is violence possible in such a place where even one does not like to speak loudly,'' she said.

Irani said he had some convincing to do before the actors and the crew agreed to the trip. ``But, the driving force for them was the story of the film that is based on humanism. This is a tale of an emotional Kashmiri Hindu father and his three daughters, and an inter-religious love story. The story revolves round the composite character of Kashmir where both Hindus and Muslims live in amity and brotherhood despite various forces bent on destroying this specialfabric,'' said Irani.

There is no particular villain in the film. ``The villains in the film are the circumstances,'' the director said.