The Kashmir Files, written and directed by Vivek Agnihotri, is back in the news. The comments of an Israeli director and jury chairperson of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) Nadav Lapid calling The Kashmir Files “vulgar and propaganda” have sparked a furious debate.
Lapid’s comments on the film came at the closing ceremony of the 53rd edition of IFFI on Monday in Goa. As the controversy grew, more people joined the discourse against him. While some spoke up in his defence, others have accused him of being insensitive towards the suffering of Kashmiri Pandits.
The Kashmir Files’ entirely based on facts, controversy unnecessary: Director Vivek Agnihotri
LUCKNOW: Screenwriter and director Vivek Agnihotri on Sunday said that the row over his latest flick The Kashmir Files. That was unnecessary and the movie was based ‘entirely on facts’.
He alleged that certain people were running businesses by ‘using Kashmir’. Also, they created the stir, so that their prospects are not dented.
“Some groups have been using Kashmir as a business. Our movie has tried to put an end to this. So, those who benefited from this are trying to create a controversy. But there cannot be any controversy over terrorism,” Agnihotri told the media here.
“We have tried to show that when militancy enters a community, they give ideological support from a part of the society. So, it leads to disaster,” Agnihotri said, adding that his movie was based “entirely on facts”.
Is ‘The Kashmir Files’ based on a true story?
The Kashmir Files, directed by Vivek Agnihotri, is based on a true story of the exodus of the Kashmiri Pandits from Kashmir Valley in 1990 after a series of gruesome incidents. The director and his wife claimed to have interviewed around 700 victims. Read the below article to find out the series of incidents that unfolded in Kashmir. Also, it displaced hundreds of thousands of Kashmiri Hindus from their homes.
Therefore, a new debate has been sparked by the remarks of an Israeli director who is on the jury for the Indian Film Festival. He described “The Kashmir Files” as “vulgar and propaganda.”
While speaking to the media at the same event, the movie’s lead actor, Anupam Kher. He said, “The Kashmir Files was so successful because it was a realistic film.”. He described it as a film based on actual events and said it was a process of healing for Kashmiri Pandits.
Nadav Lapid reveals why he called The Kashmir Files ‘vulgar’
Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid was a part of the jury at the 2022 International Film Festival of India. He stirred a controversy after he called The Kashmir Files a ‘vulgar and propaganda’ film. He made the statement during the closing ceremony of the film festival, held in Goa.
However, the Vivek Agnihotri directorial film they screened at the film festival alongside 14 other films. Since then, jury member Sudipto Sen distanced himself from Nadav’s comment. Also, the cast and crew of The Kashmir Files have slammed the Israeli filmmaker for making such a comment.
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