Filmmaker Kabir Khan had a memorable encounter during his recent visit to Kashmir.
While soaking in the beauty of the Valley, he met a little girl named Aru, who was a fan of cricketer Smriti Mandhana. Aru expressed her wish for Kabir to tell Smriti that she is her favourite player. The director also interacted with several kids playing cricket, using a mountain stream as their boundary.
Sharing stunning photos from the location on his official Instagram handle, Kabir wrote, “Walking with my camera in Kashmir always rewards me with magical moments. Like this little girl in Aru who wanted me to tell @smriti_mandhana that she is her favourite player. I hope Smriti gets to see this post. (sic).” He further added, “Or the boys whose playground has a mountain stream as the boundary. If you hit a 6 the ball will flow all the way down the valley into the Jhelum river.”
As Kabir hoped, the post caught Smriti’s attention, and she asked him to give Aru a big hug from her side. In the comment section, she wrote, “Please give the little champ in Aru a big hug from me and tell her I’m cheering for her too! (red heart emoji) (sic).”
On the professional front, Kabir expressed pride in Kartik Aaryan, who was named ‘Best Actor’ at the Filmfare Awards 2025 for his outstanding performance in “Chandu Champion.” He stated, “This is what hard work and dedication of an actor looks like. I always knew, for an actor it was going to be very challenging to essay the role of Murlikant Petkar in CHANDU CHAMPION but @kartikaaryan rose to the occasion and delivered EVERYTHING that I had desired as a filmmaker (sic).”
Kabir added, “I’m so proud today to be standing with him and applauding him for winning the Filmfare BEST ACTOR award. He’s not only a star who delivers commercial blockbusters but also an actor who is hungry for roles that challenge him – a very rare combination in our industry. More power to you Champion. May you fly higher.”