Plea demanding a stay on the release of Vidhu Vinod Chopra's upcoming film Shikara was filed in the Jammu & Kashmir High Court today. Shikara: The Untold Story of Kashmiri Pandits is based on the Kashmiri Pandit exodus of 1990. The film has created quite a buzz ever since the first trailer of the film was unveiled last month. The film stars debutants Sadia and Aadil Khan in the lead and through their on-screen love story recreates the events of 1990.
A special screening of Shikara was held on January 19, 2020, to mark the 30th anniversary of the horrific exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the valley. The film has been shot in the real locations of Kashmir with over 4000 real Kashmiri Pandits who face the horror of the exodus.
Vidhu Vinod Chopra said that Shikara is a tribute to Kashmiri Pandits who were forced to leave their homeland in 1990. "Real refugees have worked in this film. This is not (happening) just in India, but all around the world where people who have gone through a certain tragedy, have been associated with a film based on their life. I feel it will not happen ever again. The film is a tribute to the Pandit community -- to us and to our mothers, and I want you guys (the media) to tell the whole world to come and see what happened to us. It's been 30 years but no one made a film on this subject. It was like someone tried to hide our story. I feel this film is not a movie but it's a movement," said Chopra, himself a Kashmiri pandit.
The film is set to hit the theatres on February 7.
