The Kashmir Files was released on March 11 and the film is still witnessing a steady growth at the box office. It has collected Rs 254.03 crore so far. The film may not be interested in nuance but what stays with us are the flashes of genuine pain we see in the person of Pushkar Nath, played by Anupam Kher in a credible, moving turn.
The tragedy of Kashmir has deep roots. Over the decades of endless cycles of violence, waves of separatism, the infiltration of Pakistan-funded terror outfits, and the simmering discontent amongst the people, scholarly works and journalistic exercises have dug deep to excavate and explore. As is always the case with complex histories of places and people, we’ve had accounts depending upon which aspect of the issue they have been interested in.
The film is based on the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus during the Kashmir insurgency in 1990. Ever since its release, people have flocked to the theatres in great numbers to watch it. Many states even declared the film tax-free.
Twinkle Khanna has now reacted to the craze around Vivek Agnihotri’s directorial venture. She joked about how other filmmakers are rushing to register movies titled, Andheri Files, South Bombay Files and others to emulate the success of The Kashmir Files. She also joked about making a film about disastrous manicures and naming it Nail Files.
The Kashmir Files is based on the life of Kashmiri Pandits in 1990, during the Kashmir insurgency. The film is based on true events, and video interviews of the first-generation victims of The Kashmir Genocide of the Kashmiri Pandit Community. It’s a heart-wrenching narrative of the pain, suffering, struggle and trauma of Kashmiri Pandits which also questions democracy, religion, politics and humanity.
Directed by Vivek Agnihotri, the film is bankrolled by Tej Narayan Agarwal, Abhishek Agarwal, Pallavi Joshi and Vivek Agnihotri under the Zee Studios, IAmBuddha and Abhishek Agarwal Arts banners. The ensemble cast comprises Mithun Chakraborty as Brahma Dutt, Anupam Kher as Pushkarnath, Darshan Kumar as Krishna Pandit, Pallavi Joshi as Radhika Menon, Bhasha Sumbali as Shraddha Pandit, Chinmay Mandlekar as Farooq Malik aka Bitta (Inspired by Farooq Ahmed Dar), Puneet Issar as DGP Hari Narain.
