SRINAGAR: Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan arrived here Monday to shoot in the picturesque Kashmir Valley for the first time in his over two-decade-old film career.

Shah Rukh immediately left for south Kashmir’s Pahalgam hill station in a chopper after his arrival at Srinagar airport Monday morning. He is here to shoot Yash Chopra’s next, yet untitled, movie.

Chopra and his crew have been camping in Pahalgam for the last four days.

Reports from Pahalgam said shooting for the movie, whose first teaser has already run in theatres, was started after Shah Rukh’s arrival there.

“The unit is this time shooting in Aru (Pahalgam),” eyewitnesses told IANS over phone.

The unit would be shooting in Pahalgam for a week, after which it will start shooting around and on the Dal Lake in summer capital Srinagar.

An extended shooting schedule for the film has already been completed in the Ladakh region of the state.

Shah Rukh is said to be playing the role of an army officer named Samar in the love-triangle movie, starring Anushka Sharma and Katrina Kaif.

In the past, some memorable Bollywood movies like “Kashmir Ki Kali”, “Junglee”, “Andaz” and “Mere Sanam” were shot in Kashmir.

The Valley was literally out of bounds for Bollywood for over two decades after separatist violence started here in early 1990s. With the improvement in the overall situation, Bollywood has already started returning to its dream outdoor locales in Kashmir.

Actor Aamir Khan also shot for the Incredible India campaign in Srinagar earlier this year.

(Sheikh Qayoom)