Nadav Lapid, an Israeli film-maker as well as the head of the jury at this year’s International Film Festival of India (IFFI) had sparked a fresh row earlier this week over his statements on Vivek Agnihotri’s film The Kashmir Files. After Lapid called TKF ‘shameful propaganda’, the internet went abuzz with conflicting opinions and views. While the cast of the film consisting of Anupam Kher and Darshan Kumar had expressed their displeasure, Vivek Agnihotri too claimed that he would quit film-making if someone could prove his film supported falsehood. Now actress Suchitra Krishnamoorthi has given her two cents on the controversy.
In an interview with Hindustan Times, the Jazbaat actress expressed her bafflement over people denying the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the valley. She explained, “Ever since The Kashmir Files was released, there seems to be a large lobby of Indians condemning the film. I wonder why! Can one deny the exodus /genocide the Kashmiri Pandits faced? Can one deny the mischief our neighbours have created and continue to create in the valley?”
Adding to this, Suchitra elaborated, “Denying that it happened or calling it propaganda is politically motivated. He had no business condemning the film. It was greedy political opportunism on his part. Even the Israeli Consul in India distanced itself from Nadav Lapid’s appalling conduct.”
However, since the film was ‘too violent’ for her taste, Suchitra didn’t sit through the movie. But she still believes it’s a prominent story that needs to be amplified. She said, “I do believe it’s an important story that needed to be told. I have Kashmiri Pandits neighbours who were thrown out of their homes in the dead of night and lost everything in the ’90s. It was a brutal time. I hope they all get their homes back soon.”
For those unversed, Nadav Lapid was addressing the audience at the IFFI when he expressed, “All of us were disturbed and shocked by the 15th film, The Kashmir Files. That felt like a propaganda, vulgar movie, inappropriate for an artistic competitive section of such a prestigious film festival. I feel totally comfortable to openly share these feelings here with you on this stage. In the spirit of this festival, can surely also accept a critical discussion, which is essential for art and life.”
The story of Kashmir Files was centred around the 1990s exodus of Kashmiri Pandits. The film featured Anupam Kher, Mithun Chakraborty and Darshan Kumar in prominent roles.
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