Wow looks great!
I was just in your neck of the woods doing a doc in Rajasthan. I then locked my gear up and traveled all over the subcontinent for four months. For me, it just wasn't enough time. I only barely scratched the surface.
I was in Mumbai for a couple days visiting some sets that a producer friend was working on. I wish I would have known about this site earlier...I would have dropped by and taken you up on your gracious offer in a NY minute. Next time.
I did get to go up to Srinagar and the surrounding areas, and in my limited experience, I say you're right, the food of Kashmir probably some of the hottest in all of India!!! Good though, very I'd say Mongolian influenced?? I especially liked the lotus root that they do up there.
The seafood and thalis down south were outstanding on both coasts Goa/Karala and Chennai as well as out in the Andaman Islands. One of the best places we found for food was Kolkata. Very pleasantly surprised.
Movies were great, they have nice long intermissions at all the ones I caught out there. Depending on where you are in the country, they offered things like samosas at the concession. When I went to a theater here after returning, I was missing the lack of variety of food at most theaters here.
Also I miss the Chai Masala that you'd get everywhere especially in north India. The best when you're on a long train ride. For some reason I noticed that in the south, they seem to favor bad instant coffee. It was kind of tough finding good "real" coffee in some places unless you go to the big cities where they have chains which are their answer Starbucks like Coffee Day.
Hopefully I get back there soon -- EBaume