IRON KHAN
Parvez Ahmed Khan—alias “Iron Khan”— was an area commander of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front in the early 1990s. After his brother was killed by a rival organisation, he surrendered to the Indian Armed Forces and spent two months in jail. Upon his release, Khan decided to lead a non-violent life for the sake of his family—setting up Raja Hut, a backpacker’s lodge in the ski village of Gulmarg, and channelling his energy into cooking for guests. Naseer Khanday’s documentary follows Khan’s family over seven years, charting the growth of his sons Dada and Ashraf from smooth-skinned teenagers to grown men committed to snowboarding, and the progress of his daughter Benazir, who buries herself in study. The film’s backbone is Khan’s legal struggle with the Jammu & Kashmir High Court, after his lodge is declared illegal. From there, the narrative flits between happier times at Raja Hut and dreams of a peaceful future in the Kashmir Valley.