The Kashmir Files

In the war of ideology, always the innocents gets killed the politicians and religious propagators call themselves the awakened souls and survives. They are never on the battlefield - give remote directions, letting the common people suffer.

As Anupam Kher mentioned at 1:39:50 “Hum sab ki devi Maa Saraswati (Sharda), bas usiki upasana karo, jab kohi nahin hoga, jab sab taraf andhera hoga, thab wohi tumhe raah dikaayegi”

With telecom engineer BK Ganjoo’s murder in a rice barrel, Nadimarg massacre where 24 Hindu Kashmiri Pandits were killed by militants dressed in combat uniforms, or defamatory slogans. the film recreates these real life incidents and we see them through the eyes of an ageing nationalist, Pushkar Nath Pandit (Anupam Kher), his four best friends and his on-the-fence grandson, Krishna (Darshan Kumaar). Oblivious to his past, Krishna’s quest for truth forms the story.

The Kashmir Files begins with nations common interest Cricket being played, and the boy being beaten for taking the name of Sachin. And there is a rally with the slogan 'Convert, Run Or Die'. Cry's for 'Azadi', and Anupam Kher with his face painted blue and chanting Namasivaya, getting home children on cycle. 

15 minutes into the movie, we have the name and then an old Mithun, collecting paper cuttings of Kashmir incidents, latest being 6 year old killed and wife consoling 'Sabh teak ho jayega' and he telling to his friends 'Exodus nahi Genocide', and this he keeps repeating again and again. Krishan who comes to Kashmir with ashes when asked what he knows about Kashmir, he speaks of what he has heard from Radhika Menon, who speaks of Azadi and how Kashmir was never part of India and though there is a Government here, the system is theirs.  Then there is the yummy Kashmiri food, which they discuss,  Krishna's mother Sharadha used to make. 

Back into 1989, Anupam Kher and Mithun are in a market, and for payment made in INR Gandhi, they return Jinnah's currency. Gold medallist educated Kashmiri Pandit, don't get ration, and boys spread newspaper asking Pandit's to return. The news of Justice Ganjoos killing, 4 IAF men killing, and the flag of India being replaced by that of Pakistan.  Kashmir CM speaks of Secularism, nationalism in Delhi,  and says, we are free and will do what we want, and suspends the Governor. Governor tries to get help from Delhi, but with no much support. 

Blame on the government - Political power is needed to change the fate of the nation. Anupam Kher says, Kashmiri Pandit is the minority in Kashmir and request Krishna to not get into Politics. After Jan 1990, many left Kashmir. Sharada and family, it was told to children died in an accident.  In flash back, they show how it was announced in the mosques, how they needed to make Kashmir a Pakistan nation with Hindu Women's with the slogan 'convert, run or die'. They show how terrorists second attack is always hospital, as they need to protect their people injured in the fight.  People try to flee, taking the minimum needed, thinking they would be able to return in few days. Islamic Republic Party of Kashmir is the motto of Kashmir. Police fight against them,  Reporters and media people are killed in Kashmir, there is info war, the film skims through multiple issues — Digs at JNU (Jawaharlal Nehru University), media likened to terrorist ki rakhail, selective reportage of foreign media, Indian Army, political warfare, abrogation of Article 370 and mythology and ancient history of Kashmir — all at once. Mithun's question resonates - Not even a single KP took a gun. Then Anupam Kher struggled to eat a biscuit at night, now they have desserts. The Ashes Krishna brings to Kashmir is that of his grandfather Anupam Kher. The four friends with Krishna, go to the old house with ashes. Then Krishna goes to meet the person, whose address was given to him by Radhika Menon. He says, Nehru and Bajpai wanted people to love, but present PM wants the people to be afraid of him.  He also tells Krishna that it was the Indian Army who killed his mother and brother. Mithun shows, Kashmir killing, politics, Genocide file to Krishan. He realises that it was the terrorist dressed as Indian army who killed his mother and sister Siva. Mithun says real Justice is when Kashmiri's want to be back in Kashmir. 

Anupam Kher as a man pining for his lost home, is outstanding, Pallavi Joshi is equally effective, Chinmay Mandlekar and Mithun Chakraborty are competent in their respective roles. Agnihotri  resorts to shock over subtlety, reopening old wounds. The film gets lost in the clutter somewhere and the film feels  long with chaos. Not Love, hope or peace but current PM of India whom people Fear and hate is the biggest unifier. Vivek Agnihotri  gets the politics and militancy to the forefront. The trauma of being torn away from your home looms in the background.

Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s romantic drama Shikara got flak for not being the untold story of Kashmiri Pandits as it was pitched to the audience. It however, got you closer to their culture, pain and state of hopelessness.  Innumerable films have been made on Indian History recently by Bhansali and Ajay Devgan as well, and in most of them, invaders were Muslims, who were portrayed as Villains. 

When 4 lakhs Hindus were expelled that date was 19 January 1990, on that day Vishwanath Pratap Singh was the Prime Minister at the Center, heading Janata Dal coalition government running with the support of  BJP's, Atal Bihari Bajpai.  At that time, separatist leader Mufti Muhammad Saeed was the home minister of the country whose daughter is Mehbooba Mufti who later on became partner with BJP to form a coalition government in Kashmir.  Then the governor of Jammu Kashmir was BJP leader Jagmohan. 

"Be it any ideology, faith or suffering, voices being curtailed seems to be a common nightmare. Kashmir, a lost paradise has been grappling with humanitarian crisis, cross border terrorism, separatist movements and fight for self-determination. Once prosperous and multi-cultured, now a disputed territory that struggles to stabilise itself amidst the constant tension, its wounds run deep."

 Right to dissent and opposing views find a place in the movie. Every truth has two sides.

I have watched The Kashmir Files in Kerala, this movie is running in the theatres of Kerala, but not houseful. I asked a friend of mine, she said, she would not like to take her young son to this movie, and will be watching it alone. It's individual choice. Lot of movies in theatres and OTT have had protests, and in spite of being released there were propaganda. Of late one was Tandav, in Amazon prime, I did watch that too. I don't think politicians should be involved in move and religion, unless its their passionate profession - plan B, and should stop rumours.   Am tired of reading messages on how the movie is banned in Kerala. 

To resolve differences its important to acknowledge pain.  Why were they killed? This answers is important than the number of victims. Because if the cause exists then it will occur again.