Movie Review : The Kashmir Files – The cruelty of Jihadists and Anguish of Hindus
Movie Review :
What exactly happened on the day of 19th January 1990 and on the time after that ? Who is responsible for the genocide of Kashmiri Hindus ? When law and order was made a laughing stock in broad daylight, why were the Police, administration, and media proved useless ? Why could the Hindus not defend themselves ? How the Government at that time helped in the genocide ? Who is taking undue advantage of that situation now ? ‘The Kashmir Files’ is a brilliant film that urges one to search for the answers to these questions ! This film directed by Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri was released worldwide on 11th March 2022. Presenting here a critique of the film by Mr Sagar Nimbalkar, Special Correspondent, Sanatan Prabhat publications.
1. A fantastic film that questions the reality of Jihadi terrorism !
A. Outstanding story and screenplay, superlative cinematography, brilliant casting, effective direction, high-quality production and evidence-backed narration of incidents featuring exact dates and time are the strong points of the film.
B. The film puts the spotlight on the present situation in Kashmir. The film has succeeded in making the audience relive how Hindus were backstabbed by the very next-door friendly neighbour, competent officers not allowed to operate by the radicals, Police officers given ‘Padmashri’ to keep their mouths shut, media persons that were stifled and assaulted, the sorry state of the displaced Hindus in refugee camps, the helplessness and inability to narrate to one’s own grandson the extreme pain and sufferings inflicted by the radicals on Hindus, and more.
C. At various points in the film, one can feel the gargantuan hunger to convey the sufferings of Kashmiri Pandits to people across the world. The film has succeeded in inspiring utter resentment towards Jihadi terrorists and their guardians (for example, politicians, incompetent officers, the liberals and seculars, etc.)
D. The film explicitly depicts how a Kashmiri youth is instigated against Kashmiri Pandits, in institutions such as Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). It also clearly shows how separatists are supported under the name of ‘Azaadi’.
E. Several parts of the dialogue, such as, ‘Today Kashmir is burning; tomorrow the whole country will burn!’, ‘Why are Kashmiri Hindus denied justice ?’, ‘Why was a situation like this allowed to take place despite Kashmir being an integral part of India ?’, ‘Why are Kashmiri Hindus not being resettled in the Kashmir valley ?’, ‘The mainstream Hindus are also responsible for this situation of Kashmiri Hindus’, etc., force the viewer to introspect. In addition to this, the background dialogue and Kashmiri songs by supporting actors and the main cast further sharpen the edge of the film.
2. Exemplary acting by Anupam Kher and other actors
Anupam Kher’s acting in the film deserves a special mention. A Kashmiri himself, every expression on Kher’s face conveys the plight of Kashmiri Hindus straight to the hearts of the audience. He has delivered his career-best performance in the film. The film’s standard has been further elevated by performances from actors such as Chinmay Mandlekar, Mithun Chakravarthy, Darshan Kumar, Pallavi Joshi and others. The acting shakes up the viewer, at times making them applaud at the powerful dialogue, chant nationalistic slogans and mutter curses to the terrorists.
3. ‘The Kashmir Files’ reflects the exemplary fearlessness of Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri !
To date, nobody has dared to produce a film like ‘The Kashmir Files’. Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri did not get unsettled despite the extreme pressure from religious fanatics and the well-established from the film industry. Agnihotri even risks being attacked by religious fanatics in the near future. He has stayed away from shoving any over-the-top scenes, love stories or songs in the film to appease the masala audience. The film underlines the fact that what happened in Kashmir was indeed a genocide ! It gives this grave injustice a voice. In addition to making Hindus cautious, the film attempts to make the non-Muslim population across the globe ensure they don’t face a similar situation.
An appeal to Hindus and prayer unto the feet of Shri Guru !
Every Hindu should go beyond merely watching, ‘The Kashmir Files’ and applauding Agnihotri’s efforts. A film like this is made only once in the centuries-old history of films. This film is many times better than any masala film that makes thousands of crores. The money made by the film won’t go to the actors that support terrorism. I pray unto the feet of Shri Guru that every Hindu watching the film develop the hatred against terrorism and get inspired to work for the nation and Dharma!
– Mr Sagar Nimbalkar, Special Correspondent, Sanatan Prabhat Publications, Kolhapur.
Poignant moments from the film !
1. In order to save father-in-law and children, a Hindu lady is told to eat rice drenched with the blood of her husband
2. Massacring Government officials in broad daylight in a marketplace and removing India’s national flag
3. Extremist women participating in terrorism by not allowing Hindu ladies to obtain rationed grain
4. Killing Hindu poet who used to write poems on Muslims and hanging his dead body on a tree
5. A young Hindu girl, who was fleeing, was forced to pee in her snack box
6. A well-planned brainwash of Hindu youngsters being executed in Jawaharlal Nehru University
7. Not allowing medical treatment to Hindus in the hospitals and breaking the blood bottle donated by Hindus for a terrorist
8. Silent approval of Hindu genocide by then Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah and Central Home Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad whilst Rajiv Gandhi, then Prime Minister remained inactive
9. Ripping Hindu women’s clothes in front of the public and sawing them by cutting vertically
10. The merciless and continuous killing of 25 people
Highlights
1. The entire cinema hall was full but there was not a single religious fanatic
2. In the entire city, only 2 cinema halls are screening 3 shows per day of this film but all shows were running full, in advance booking
3. The crowd consisted of young and middle-aged people
It reminded exhibition by Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, an organisation working tirelessly for the last 15 years for Kashmiri Hindus
Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS) has been actively exhibiting – Foundation Against Continuing Terrorism(FACT), unjust against Kashmiri Hindus, and the world remained silent. The film displays the scary reality of incidents displayed in the exhibition !
Media’s Hindu-hatred
In the recent past, Bollywood has seen a large “crop” of Hindu hatred and religious fanatics’ films. So-called critics overrate such films and leading media broadcast that through their channels. But, none of them has voiced their opinion about The Kashmir Files, a movie screening atrocities on Hindus, leaving aside reviewing the film. If Hindus decide to boycott such media, how can it be unjust !
A few reactions from the audience
· The film has screened only such incidents that normal people can sustain and those can be approved by a sensor board. The actual situation was far worse than what has been portrayed. Gang-raping Hindu women, torturing them in front of their husbands did not have any limits – A Soldier from the Indian Army !
· “We Sindhi’s have come from Pakistan but looking at the attempt to make Kashmir a Pakistan territory has drenched my heart. Then rulers should be hanged till death” – Sindhi citizen
· “Hindus should learn a lesson from this film. Today, we must decide on how much we should befriend religious fanatics. It has raised a question of Hindus’ very existence. We must do something about this now” – 2 Hindu youths