Samay to Anupam: 5 celebrities with Kashmiri roots

Samay Raina, the stand-up comedian and YouTuber who shot to fame after winning 'Comicstaan 2' in 2019 and recently made headlines due to the controversy surrounding his show ‘India’s Got Latent,’ is a proud Kashmiri Pandit from Jammu. He often shares stories about his roots, sometimes with heartfelt words and other times through sharp satire. In 2022, after watching the film 'The Kashmir Files,' Samay paid tribute to his parents on social media, writing, “My learning from the movie is that my parents went through the worst and still managed to work hard in a different city, starting from scratch, and raised me the best they could. Forever indebted to them.”

Recently, after hearing about the terrifying terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, Samay was clearly shaken. He posted on Instagram, “Unable to sleep tonight.”

Known for lighting up the big screen with her bold performances in the 70s and 80s, Zeenat Aman has Kashmiri roots through her father, Amanullah Khan. He was a screenwriter and had Kashmiri ancestry. Zeenat, born in Mumbai in 1951, quickly made a name for herself in Indian cinema with hits like 'Haré Rama Haré Krishna' (1971), 'Don' (1978), 'Yaadon Ki Baaraat' (1973), and 'Satyam Shivam Sundaram' (1978).

Her roles broke away from the usual image of women in films at the time, making her a trendsetter. Even today, her connection to Kashmir adds another layer to her legacy as one of Bollywood’s most unforgettable stars.

Acclaimed director and producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra has made some of Indian cinema’s most-loved films, like 'Parinda,' 'Munna Bhai MBBS,' and '3 Idiots.' Born in Srinagar, his family left Kashmir in the 1990s due to the conflict. His mother, Shanti Devi Mahalakshmi, was one of the many who had to leave everything behind.

He later made the film 'Shikara' as a tribute to her and the Kashmiri Pandit community. In an interview with Condé Nast Traveller, he shared how deeply his childhood in Kashmir still affects him: “Growing up in Kashmir was one of the most beautiful things that happened to me. I tell my children growing up in Mumbai that I regret not being able to give them a childhood in Kashmir. I miss it! If I were to live my life again, I would tell God, Please let me be born in Kashmir. Despite all its problems today. It is just beautiful.”

Kunal Kemmu, born in Srinagar, belongs to a Kashmiri Pandit family that was forced to leave during the 1990 exodus. Though he mostly grew up in Mumbai, he has always held onto his Kashmiri identity. In a podcast with Raj Shamani, he opened up about his memories and how the exodus affected his family:

“We left during the exodus. I was too young; I might have some kind of PTSD from it, but more than me, my parents and family faced it and had to deal with it. My father went to the National School of Drama. He was still trying to figure out if he wanted to move to Mumbai because he was working with Shyam Benegal at that time. He worked on ‘Yatra,’ ‘Bharat Dekho,’ ‘Discovery of India,’ and all those kinds of shows.”

From childhood roles in films like 'Zakhm' to comedies like 'Dhol' and 'Go Goa Gone,' Kunal has carved out a place for himself in Bollywood, all while staying close to his roots.

Veteran actor Anupam Kher, born in Shimla into a Kashmiri Pandit family, has never shied away from speaking up about the pain and trauma faced by his community. With over 540 films to his name and multiple national honors, Kher has used his platform time and again to raise awareness. After the terror attack in Pahalgam, he posted a powerful video on social media, saying, "Today, the massacre that took place with the Hindus in Pahalgam...Hindus have been killed one after the other. I do feel sad, but there is no limit to my anger and rage. There is no limit to my anger and rage."

He linked the event to the history shown in 'The Kashmir Files' and called it just a small part of a much bigger and painful story. “They are choosing them, deciding their religion, and killing them. There are no words. Sometimes, words are incomplete and meaningless. Because what you are feeling is too much.”