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Tuesday, Mar 12, 2013 8:27 PM UTC

Steven Spielberg producing movie set in Kashmir

The director recently learned of his father's personal connection to India

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Topics: Steven Spielberg, kashmir, Pakistan, India, movie, Film,

Steven Spielberg producing movie set in Kashmir (Credit: Chris Pizzello/invision/ap)

In an interview with the Times of India published this morning, director Steven Spielberg announced plans to produce a movie set along the Indian-Pakistani border, in the region of Kashmir. The movie, which Spielberg plans to produce but not direct, shares a little-known personal connection to the region; his father was stationed in Karachi during World War II and traveled across India during periods of rest.

Spielberg told the Times:

” ‘About two years ago, I was going through a lot of my dad’s things. We found three boxes full of my dad’s love letters to my mom and her letters back to him. So I set up the video camera and my dad and I went through them. Some were too personal but my dad (who is now 96) read others out loud while I filmed him. At the bottom of one of the boxes, I found three sealed envelopes of about 9 by 4 inches each.

” ‘When I opened them, it was the negatives of 400 still photographs which my father hadn’t gotten developed. I had a lab print each one as an 8 by 10 inch photo, and I saw my father’s entire history in Karachi, Bombay and Calcutta and other cities in India during WWII.’ ”

“‘ That was the first time I really became aware of what my father did in the war,’ ” said Spielberg.

Spielberg said the script has been written, but is now looking for a director, cast and locations. The new project will be Spielberg’s first in India since he shot “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” in 1983.

Prachi Gupta is an Assistant News Editor for Salon, focusing on pop culture. Follow her on Twitter at @prachigu or email her at pgupta@salon.com. More Prachi Gupta.

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