The Kashmir Files' team at India TV
Highlights
- 'The Kashmir Files', is based on the tales of the Kashmiri Pandits' exodus
- Vivek Agnihotri, Pallavi Joshi & Anupam Kher joined India TV for exclusive conversation
The team of 'The Kashmir Files' joined India TV for a special segment. Present were film's director Vivek Agnihotri, actress Pallavi Joshi, who also doubled up as the producer and veteran actor Anupam Kher, who plays an important part in narrating the horrors of the genocide of Kashmiri Pandits in 1990. Talking about the film, the team shared how it was important for them to tell the story and why the topic was unexplored for the past 32 years.
While the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits is a topic brushed under the carpet, people have not forgotten the Holocaust. Films like Schindler's List and Pianist have shared vivid details of the atrocities the Jews faced at the hands of the Nazi Army. When asked why no one talked about the Genocide of Kashmiri Pandits, director Vivek Agnihotri said, "They did let people forget and we didn't let people remember it. Those who tried to speak out were stopped. I am aghast that we have reduced the entire incident to mere digits. Some say they were 2000 Kashmiri Pandits, some say 200 but I say there was just one. But you finished that one person too."
"Talking of Schindler's List and Pianist, you wouldn't find people questioning the film. They cite figures in these films but no one questions them, however, closer to home we have made Kashmiri Pandits a digit. They have had their family, culture and heritage they are losing it because no one talks about it. The land which was known for its music, art and literature is now barren. In the last 32 years, no one made a film because they knew tackling this subject would cause them to harm both mentally and physically," he explained.
Opening up about how the topic remained unexplored for over three decades, Anupam Kher said it was painful. "It was heart wrenching and painful because not only women were raped and a community was asked to move out, but there were attempts to pull down the entire exodus and keep it away from the public eye," said Kher, adding, "It was not even acknowledged for a large part. It was painful because it got difficult to make people believe what happened with Kashmiri Pandits 32 years ago. It needed people like Vivek Agnihotri and Pallavi Joshi to show what happened and how it happened. People tell me it pained them to see what happened with the people of Kashmir, but what about people who suffered these."
In the film, Pallavi Joshi plays the role of a Leftist professor who tries to influence the opinion of college students. Sharing how important it was that the film focuses on the said issue, Joshi said, "We know the pain of losing someone, but when someone is murdered brutally and the family doesn't get justice, The Kashmir Files is that urgency a family member feels. It is about that pain when you don't get justice. We focused on Radhika Menon and Bitta Karate because it shows how young minds are brainwashed."
The film is performing well at the box office. Over the weekend it earned over Rs 25 cr. Talking about the success of the film, Anupam Kher said he did not expect that the film will impact so many people and will pull crowds.
Reasoning the same, Joshi said, "In the film, Anupam Ji's character tells a reporter if he will show India what is happening in Kashmir because he believes that when the truth will be out, the country will come and stand with Kashmiri Pandita. The same has happened now. When they saw what happened with Kashmiris, they are coming together."
