Mumbai, Dec 20 (IANS) Filmmaker Kabir Khan had a very special encounter during his latest visit to Kashmir.

As the ‘Ek Tha Tiger’ maker was soaking in the beauty of the Valley, he came across a little girl named Aru, who was a fan of cricketer Smriti Mandhana and wanted Kabir to tell her that she is her favourite player.

The director also met some more kids who were playing cricket in the area, treating the mountain stream as the boundary.

Dropping a couple of mesmerizing photos from the place 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).”

“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,” added the ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ maker.

Like Kabir wished, the post did reach Mandhana, who asked the filmmaker to give the little girl a big hug from her side.

She penned in the comment section, “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 his pride as Kartik Aaryan was named the ‘Best Actor’ at the Filmfare Awards 2025 for his exceptional performance in “Chandu Champion.”

“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 film maker (sic),” wrote Kabir on social media.

He 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.”

–IANS

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