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The Kashmir Files From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigationJump to search The Kashmir Files The Kashmir Files Theatrical release poster Directed by	Vivek Agnihotri Written by Vivek Agnihotri Saurabh M. Pandey Produced by Tej Narayan Agarwal Abhishek Agarwal Pallavi Joshi Vivek Agnihotri[1] Starring Mithun Chakraborty Anupam Kher Darshan Kumar Pallavi Joshi Chinmay Mandlekar Prakash Belawadi Puneet Issar Cinematography	Udaysingh Mohite Edited by	Shankh Rajadhyaksha Music by Score: Rohit Sharma Songs: Rohit Sharma Swapnil Bandodkar Production companies Zee Studios Abhishek Agarwal Arts Distributed by	Zee Studios Release date 11 March 2022 Running time	170 minutes[2] Country	India Language	Hindi Budget	est. ₹15 crore[3] Box office	est. ₹339.78 crore[4] The Kashmir Files is a 2022 Indian Hindi-language drama film[2] written and directed by Vivek Agnihotri.[5] The film presents real storyline[1][6][a] centred around an exodus of Kashmiri Hindus in the disputed region of Kashmir.[8][9] It depicts the early 1990s exodus[10] to be a genocide,[16] a notion that is widely considered inaccurate and associated with conspiracy theories.[17][18][disputed – discuss]

The Kashmir Files stars Mithun Chakraborty, Anupam Kher, Darshan Kumar, and Pallavi Joshi.[19] The plot follows a Kashmiri Hindu college student, raised by his exiled grandfather and shielded from the knowledge of the circumstances of the death of his parents. After his grandfather's death, the student, who had come to believe at college that the exodus was benign, becomes driven to uncover the facts of his family's deaths. The plot alternates between the student's quest in the present time, 2020, and his family's travails of thirty years before. The film was released in theatres on 11 March 2022.[5] It has been a commercial success,[1][20] seemingly benefitting from promotion by India's ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.[21]

The critical reception of the film was mixed,[1] with the cinematography and acting thought to be compelling,[25] but the storyline attracting criticism for attempting to recast established history[27] and propagating Islamophobia.[30][31] Supporters have praised the film for showing what they say is an overlooked aspect of Kashmir's history.[6] Theatres across India have witnessed hate speech against Muslims, including incitement to violence.[32][33] As of 28 April 2022, the movie, which cost approximately ₹15 crore (US$2.0 million) to make,[3] had grossed ₹339.78 crore (US$45 million) worldwide,[34] making it the highest grossing Hindi film of 2022.

Contents 1	Plot 2	Cast 3	Production 4	Release 4.1	Certification 4.2	Litigations 4.3	Theatrical release 4.4	Home media 5	Government and ruling party support 6	Critical reception 7	Political messaging and historical accuracy 8	Hate speech 9	Box office 10	Soundtrack 11	Notes 12	References 13	External links Plot The plot frequently switches between the contemporary period set in the year 2020 and flashbacks to 1989–1990 throughout the film.

Circa 1989–1990

In 1989–90 Kashmir, Islamic militants storm and banish Kashmiri Hindu Pandits from the Kashmir valley using the slogans Raliv Galiv ya Chaliv ("convert (to Islam), leave or die") and Al-Safa Batte Dafa ("with god's grace whole Kashmiri Pandit community will leave valley"). Pushkar Nath Pandit, a teacher, fears for the safety of his son Karan, who has been accused by the militants of being an Indian spy. Pushkar requests his friend Brahma Dutt, a civil servant, for Karan's protection. Brahma travels with Pushkar to Kashmir and witnesses the violence against Kashmiri Pandits. He takes up the issue with the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), who suspends Brahma.

Militant commander Farooq Malik Bitta, also a former student of Pushkar, breaches Pushkar Nath's house. Karan hides in a rice container but is found and shot by Bitta. Pushkar and his daughter-in-law Sharda plead for their lives. Bitta compels Sharda to eat rice soaked in Karan's blood in exchange for their lives. After Bitta and his gang leave the house, Pushkar begs his doctor friend Mahesh Kumar to bring an ambulance and save Karan's life. However, the hospital gets taken over by militants, who forbid the hospital staff from treating non-Muslims. Subsequently, Karan succumbs to injuries from the gunshots.

To ensure their safety, Pushkar and his family are taken by their journalist friend Vishnu Ram to Kaul, a Hindu poet who maintains a cordial relationship with Muslims. Kaul takes in many Pandits into his home but a group of militants arrives to pick Kaul and his son up under the guise of offering protection. The rest of the Pandits leave the place but are later shocked to find corpses of Kaul and his son hanging from trees.

The refugee Pandits from the Kashmir valley settle in Jammu and live on meagre ration and in poor conditions. Brahma is appointed as an advisor to the new Governor of J&K. At his request, the Home Minister visits the Jammu camps where Pushkar demands the removal of Article 370 and the resettlement of Kashmiri Pandits. Brahma manages to get Sharda a government job in Nadimarg in Kashmir, and the family moves there.

One day a group of militants headed by Bitta dress up as members of the Indian Army and arrive at Nadimarg. They start rounding up the Pandits living there. Sharda resists when the militants get hold of her elder son Shiva. Angry Farooq strips her and saws her body in half. He lines up Shiva and the remaining Pandits and shoots them into a mass grave. Pushkar is spared to spread the word about what happened.

2020

In the present day, Sharda's younger son Krishna is brought up by Pushkar. He believes that his parents had died in an accident. A student of ANU,[b] Krishna is under the influence of professor Radhika Menon who is a supporter of Kashmiri separatism. Pushkar's friends Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh, and police officer Hari Narain, who had served in Kashmir when Karan was killed, recall the events of Kashmir from their memory that Brahma calls a "genocide".

Krishna contests the ANU's student election. Following the advice of professor Radhika Menon, he holds the Government of India responsible for the issue of Kashmir, much to the anger of Pushkar. Later, when Pushkar dies, Krishna travels to his ancestral home in Kashmir to scatter the ashes per Pushkar's last wish. Menon asks Krishna to record some footage in Kashmir to expose the government's supposed atrocities. With the help of one of Menon's contacts, Krishna meets Bitta and accuses him of being responsible for the situation of the Pandits. But Bitta declares himself to be a new-age Gandhi who is leading a non-violent democratic movement. Bitta claims that it was the Indian Army, who killed Krishna's mother and brother. When Krishna questions Brahma about this claim, Brahma hands him newspaper cuttings (collected by Pushkar), which had reported that militants disguised as Indian Army soldiers killed them.

Krishna returns to Delhi and gives his scheduled speech for the university presidential elections to a roaring crowd at the ANU campus. He elaborates on the history of Kashmir and the plight of his family and other Kashmiri Hindu victims that he perceived from his trip. This is shocking to his mentor Professor Menon and her other students. Krishna is then met with resistance and ridicule from students and an eventual embrace by a few.

Cast Mithun Chakraborty as IAS Brahma Dutt Anupam Kher as Pushkar Nath Pandit Darshan Kumar as Krishna Pandit Pallavi Joshi as Radhika Menon Chinmay Mandlekar as Farooq Malik Bitta Prakash Belawadi as Dr. Mahesh Kumar Puneet Issar as DGP Hari Narain Bhasha Sumbli as Sharda Pandit Sourav Verma as Afzal Mrinal Kulkarni as Laxmi Dutt Atul Srivastava as Journalist Vishnu Ram Prithviraj Sarnaik as Shiva Pandit Amaan Iqbal as Karan Pandit Production On 14 August 2019, Agnihotri announced the film with its first look poster with an intent to release it on 15 August 2020, coinciding with India's Independence Day. The subject of the film was the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits that took place between the late 80s and early 90s.[37][38] Agnihotri touted the film to be the second instalment of his trilogy of "untold stories of independent India", which includes the films The Tashkent Files (2019) and an upcoming The Delhi Files.[39] As a part of the production, Agnihotri claimed to have interviewed more than 700 emigrants from the exodus and recorded their stories over a period of two years.[40] Actor Anupam Kher joined the cast as the lead actor of the film in December 2019.[41]

The first schedule of the film, supposed to take place in March 2020, was called off due the COVID-19 pandemic in India,[42] and was started later the same year in December in Mussoorie.[43] The entire film was shot in 30 days, largely in Mussoorie and Dehradun, along with a week-long shooting schedule in Kashmir, including at Dal Lake.[44] Yograj Singh was removed before the production started in December 2020 for his speeches at the 2020–2021 Indian farmers' protest, and Puneet Issar was brought in as the replacement.[43][45] A line producer, Sarahna died during the production by suicide.[46] The production was wrapped up by 16 January 2021.[47]

Produced by Tej Narayan Agarwal, Abhishek Agarwal, Pallavi Joshi and Vivek Agnihotri under the banners of Zee Studios, IAmBuddha and Abhishek Agarwal Arts,[48] the film was made on a budget of approximately ₹15 crore (US$2.0 million).[49]

Release Certification The Indian Censor board gave The Kashmir Files A certificate, which is restricted to adults (aged 18 and above). According to CBFC, it is a feature film in the genre 'drama' and there is no mention of the film being commercial/documentary in the CBFC records.[50] The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) found the film to contain "strong bloody violence" and certified the film as suitable only for viewers aged 15 years and over.[2] Australian censors gave the film an 18+ plus rating.[51]

In Singapore, the film was banned by the censor authority after a consultation with Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth and Ministry of Home Affairs; the film's "provocative and one-sided portrayal of Muslims" was held to have the potential of disrupting "religious harmony."[52] In New Zealand, the censorship clearance was mired in controversy. The film had originally received an R16 classification from the New Zealand Classification Office.[51] However, with the Muslim community raising concerns about potential incitement of Islamophobia, the rating was raised to R18; David Shanks, the Chief Censor of New Zealand, highlighted "the nature and intensity of the violence and cruelty depicted" and defended the new age restriction to be in consistence with Australia and India.[53][51]

Litigations A public interest litigation (PIL) was filed by an Uttar Pradesh resident which sought a stay on the film's release on grounds that the film may portray the Muslims as killers of the Kashmiri Pandits, presenting what it described as a one-sided view that would hurt the sentiments of Muslims and could trigger violence against Muslims. The PIL was dismissed by the Bombay High Court on grounds that the filer should have challenged the certificate issued to the film by the Central Board of Film Certification.[54]

Another lawsuit was filed by the widow of an Indian Armed Forces squadron leader who died during the Kashmir Insurgency. The widow's lawsuit said that the film portrayed a false depiction of events related to her husband and sought a stay on its release. Accordingly, the court restrained the makers from showing the relevant scenes.[55]

Theatrical release The Kashmir Files was set to release theatrically worldwide on 26 January 2022, coinciding with India's Republic Day, but was postponed due to the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.[56] It was initially released in over 630 screens in India on 11 March 2022[57] and was later increased to 4,000 screens.[58]

Home media The film is scheduled for worldwide streaming on ZEE5 from 13 May 2022.[59]

Government and ruling party support The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has endorsed and promoted the film in explicit terms,[26][60][61][62] which has led to significant audience at theatres making it a runaway commercial success.[21] Union Minister Smriti Irani was one of the most vocal in promoting it.[26] Prime Minister Narendra Modi has attacked critics in response to negative reviews, claiming that there is a conspiracy to discredit the film, which according to him "reveals the truth"; he met with Agnihotri to congratulate him, as did Home Minister Amit Shah.[61][63] The BJP Information and Technology Cell, known for being the party's propaganda unit promoted the film with its head raising calls for people to watch it.[61] Pro-government media were also involved in its promotion; OpIndia — a pro-Hindutva news portal — published several articles raining praises on the film and questioning the motives of critics as well as opposition parties while television channels hosted multiple shows and debates to the same ends.[61] Following the release of the film, Agnihotri was provided with a Y-category security detail from the Central Reserve Police Force by the Ministry of Home Affairs, based on what an official described as inputs of perceived threat to the director's safety.[64]

States in which movie was tax-free. The film was declared tax-free in multiple BJP governed states—Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar and Himachal Pradesh—with calls by several chief ministers and Members of Parliament for "everyone to watch the movie".[60][65][66][67][68] Assam and Madhya Pradesh granted vacations to government employees and police personnel respectively, if they planned to watch the movie, and Assam, Karnataka and Tripura governments held special screenings of the film.[61] In addition, in the states of Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and West Bengal, which have opposition parties in power, BJP legislators have called for their respective state governments to make the film tax-free.[61] Across the country, BJP legislators have bought out screens for audiences to watch the movie for free.[61]

Critical reception Shubhra Gupta reviewing for The Indian Express rated the film 1.5 out of 5 stars, criticising the film for being uninterested in nuance and describing the film as propaganda aligned with the ruling party, that aimed to stoke the "deep-seated anger" of Pandits.[28] However, she also stated that the film did tap "into the grief of the displaced Pandits," and commended Kher's performance.[28] Rahul Desai reviewing for Film Companion, found the work to be a "fantasy-revisionist" rant lacking in clarity, craft, and sense where every Muslim was a Nazi and every Hindu, a Jew; with an unconvincing screenplay and weak characters, it was propaganda that strove only to tune in with the Hindu nationalist mood of the nation rather than offer any genuine empathy to the displaced victims.[69]

Tanul Thakur, reviewing for The Wire, was scathing: the film—"monotonous", "inert", and boasting of an "objectively poor screenplay"—was set up in an alternate reality and felt like iterations of collected Whatsapp screeds in service of a Hindu majoritarian state and especially Narendra Modi; Agnihotri lured the audience with facts only to distort and communalize them, and target those who are critical of the incumbent political government in India.[70] Asim Ali, reviewing for Newslaundry, was also critical of the film, finding it to have exploited the sufferings of Kashmiri Pandits in peddling a Hindu Nationalist worldview where no Muslim in Kashmir had any aspiration except persecuting Hindus.[13][71] Shilajit Mitra of The New Indian Express panned the film with a rating of 1 out of 5 stars and castigated Agnihotri for exploiting the suffering of Kashmiri Pandits by doing away with all nuance in service of a "communal agenda".[11]

Debasish Roy Chowdhury, co-author of To Kill a Democracy: India's Passage to Despotism, found the film to be a prominent marker of India's "descent into darkness"; rather than offering genuine closure for the Pandits, Agnihotri inflamed hatred against Muslims, secular parties, and liberal media in pursuance of a Hindu Supremacist cause.[72] Nitasha Kaul, a Kashmiri Pandit academic, reviewing for The News Minute, held the work to be a communal and masculinist propaganda that collapsed the complex politics of Kashmir into a one-sided moral tale palatable to the current Hindutva dispensation in India; Agnihotri appropriated Pandit sufferings to portray all Kashmiri Muslims as barbarian invaders, undeserving of any solidarity.[73] Alpana Kishore, one of the few journalists who had covered Kashmir in the 1990s (as part of Newstrack), found the film to be a set of factual episodes but strung together in a contextless fashion; Agnihotri did not bother to even portray the other side of the divide, and was brazen in pushing a pro-right agenda.[74]

Suparna Sharma, reviewing for Rolling Stone India, panned the film with a rating of 1 out of 5 stars: "neither cinematic nor historical", Agnihotri simply attempted to weaponize the tragedy of Kashmiri Pandits in pandering to the current sociopolitical climate. Uninterested in nuance and context, dripping with gore, and pushing an overt pro-right agenda, it was not even well made propaganda.[75] Writing for The Outlook Magazine, Ashutosh Bharadwaj noted the movie to be deeply insensitive to Muslim claims and memories concerning the exodus; it bore evidence of India's refashioning into a Hindu majoritarian state.[76][77] Anuj Kumar reviewing for The Hindu described the film as being composed of "some facts, some half-truths, and plenty of distortions" with brutally intense visualisations and compelling performances, aimed at inciting hatred against Muslims.[12]

In contrast, Stutee Ghosh, reviewing for The Quint, rated the film 3.5 out of 5 and found the film to have made a compelling case for Kashmiri pandits and their "hitherto unaddressed wounds" but wished for more nuance; the cinematography (especially the colour palette), Anupam Kher's acting, and realist depictions were praised in particular.[22] Likewise, Jagadish Angadi of Deccan Herald was effusive in his praise — Agnihotri's use of non-linear narratives and strong dialogues, enviable background research, and strong individual performances produced an "intense watch".[23] Avinash Lohana of Pinkvilla rated the film 3 out of 5 stars, praising the cast performances—particularly that of Kher's—and the behind-the-scenes research, but criticised the lack of balance.[24] Rohit Bhatnagar of The Free Press Journal found the screenplay and the individual performances to be sloppy, thus failing to make any mark; however, he admired the effort that went behind the film and rated it 2.5 out of 5 stars.[78]

Political messaging and historical accuracy The film's producer Vivek Agnihotri claims the film to be a depiction of the "truth of Kashmir", in line with Hindu Right views.[79][72] Its key message is that what is known as the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits is actually a "genocide" — which it claims to have been kept out of history textbooks and mainstream discourse deliberately.[11][14] This is arrived at by picking a few dreadful events from a decade and half and heaping them onto a single fictive family in the course of about a year;[72] a "fictional take on real events", as one reviewer labelled it.[80]

Krishna's father is killed in the film while hiding in a container of rice, an event fashioned after the killing of telecommunications. engineer B. K. Ganjoo in 1990.[79][81] Krishna's mother is raped and killed by cutting her with a mechanical saw, an event fashioned after the killing of unrelated Girija Tikoo, also in 1990.[14] This event juxtaposed with a massacre fashioned after the 2003 Nadimarg massacre in an entirely different time frame under the watch of a Bharatiya Janata Party government. The massacre is depicted in the film as occurring in broad daylight in front of Kashmiri Muslim neighbours as passive participants, in contrast to the real event which happened in the dead of night with silenced guns and no witnesses.[14] Sanjay Tikoo, the head of the Kashmiri Pandit Sangharsh Samiti, says, "that was not like that; ... no massacre of Kashmiri Pandits took place before [the eyes] of Kashmiri Muslims".[82]

The film depicts the Jawaharlal Nehru University[b] as an unpatriotic institution sympathetic to terrorism.[79] Article 370 of the Constitution, that granted nominally autonomous status to Jammu and Kashmir and was revoked by the Modi government in 2019, is named as one of the factors behind the displacement of Kashmiri Pandits.[79] Blame is also attached to Farooq Abdullah, the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir prior to the 1990 exodus; the former Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi; and Indian home minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, a person of Kashmiri heritage. The serving prime minister V. P. Singh (in 1990), and the Bharatiya Janata Party that supported his government, appear to be absolved of responsibility by the film.[79][13][72][62] The central character Krishna Pandit is shown as being provoked by terrorists to turn against the present-day prime minister Narendra Modi.[79] The former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is also subtly derided for attempting to win the hearts of Kashmiris.[12]

A Kashmiri separatist militant named Farooq Malik Bitta is depicted in the movie, fashioned after Farooq Ahmed Dar ("Bitta Karate") and Yasin Malik rolled into one. But he is also shown as being involved in the 2003 Nadimarg massacre, which was of neither's doing.[79][81] The facts of Bitta Karate's long years of incarceration despite a lack of conviction or Malik's eventual conversion to non-violent means of struggle are not mentioned.[12][83][14]

The film's exclusive focus on violence of Muslims on Hindus—with limited attention given to the overall history of human rights abuses in the state[c]—and especially, the painting of all Muslims as active or passive participants in the exodus has been seen as promoting Islamophobia and Hindu Nationalist cause.[72][79][88] The film has also faced charges of historical revisionism and unnuanced storytelling.[26][72][89][93] Several critics have compared Agnihotri with Riefenstahl, a Nazi propagandist.[69][72][62] Reception among Pandits has been mixed with some regarding the film to be a cathartic experience[94][95] while others have been critical.[96]

Hate speech At the theatres, Hindutva activists raised slogans advocating for fatal violence against Kashmiri Muslims as well as Indian Muslims in general.[72][32] In one instance, calls were made to "[s]hoot the traitors to the nation" by members of the Hindu Jagran Manch, a member of the Sangh Parivar.[97][98] Agnihotri has defended such cases, citing freedom of expression.[32] In Jammu, a Kashmiri Pandit activist and his family were heckled by a mob of activists allegedly belonging to the BJP, for he had labelled the film exploitative of the Pandit community.[99]

During the 2022 Ram Navami riots, The Kashmir Files is seen to have played a role in inspiring communal passions. In Khargone in Madhya Pradesh, the scene of a woman being cut up by a mechanical saw was recreated with makeshift devices and emblazoned with the slogan, "Wake up Hindus, lest other states in India become Kashmir."[100] A BJP leader declared that, if Hindus did not draw the lesson from The Kashmir Files, eventually similar films would need to be made about Delhi, Bengal, Kerala and Khargone.[100] The film's version of truth that Muslims formed a blood-thirsty community whole-heartedly supporting militants' assaults was believed liable to be replicated in other parts of India.[100] In the Uttarakhand's Roorkee region, people said that the film enthused them to fight for their "rights". They regarded the local Muslims as jihadis, who were conspiring against the Hindus and tearing the nation apart.[101]

Box office The Kashmir Files opened to box office with an earnings of ₹35.5 million (US$470,000), ₹85 million (US$1.1 million) and ₹151 million (US$2.0 million) in India respectively on its first three days, taking its opening weekend collection to ₹271.5 million (US$3.6 million) and an estimated ₹50 million (US$660,000) in India and overseas, respectively.[4][102] After the response from the first two days, the screens were increased to 2,000 on 13 March 2021.[103] With a collections growth of 323% on its first Monday compared to the release day, the film broke the record for the highest increase in collections for an Indian film on its first Monday.[104] At the end of the first week, the film earned ₹973 million (US$13 million) at the Indian box office.[4] After the response from the first week, the screens were increased to 4,000 on 18 March 2021.[58]

The film emerged as a box-office success within its first two days of release.[105][106] As of 28 April 2022, the film grossed ₹297.53 crore (US$39 million) in India and ₹42.25 crore (US$5.5 million) overseas, for a worldwide gross collection of ₹339.78 crore (US$45 million),[4] making it the highest grossing Hindi film of 2022.[107] The movie also became the most successful movie commercially in aftermath of COVID-19 pandemic in India and first to cross the figure of ₹250 crore (US$33 million).[108][109]

Soundtrack The Kashmir Files Soundtrack album by Rohit Sharma and Swapnil Bandodkar Released	19 April 2022[110] Genre	Feature film soundtrack Length	34:59 Language	Hindi Label	Zee Music Company Official audio The Kashmir Files - Full Album on YouTube The music of the film is composed by Rohit Sharma and Swapnil Bandodkar.[110]

Track listing No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Singer(s)	Length 1.	"Theme From The Kashmir Files"	Instrumental	Rohit Sharma	Instrumental	4:40 2.	"Al Jihad"	Instrumental	Rohit Sharma	Instrumental	0:55 3.	"Brahma Dutt'S Theme"	Instrumental	Rohit Sharma	Instrumental	4:13 4.	"Azadi"	Instrumental	Rohit Sharma	Instumental	1:04 5.	"Krishna'S Theme"	Instrumental	Rohit Sharma	Instrumental	2:08 6.	"Raliv, Galiv Ya Chaliv"	Instrumental	Rohit Sharma	Instrumental	2:12 7.	"Hum Dekhenge" (Unplugged Version)	Faiz Ahmad Faiz	Swapnil Bandodkar	Pallavi Joshi	1:38 8.	"Hum Dekhenge"	Faiz Ahmad Faiz	Swapnil Bandodkar	Swapnil Bandodkar, Pallavi Joshi, Shahzad Ali, Salman Ali, Meghna Mishra, Ananya Wadkar	3:41 9.	"Hum Dekhenge" (Extended Version)	Faiz Ahmad Faiz	Swapnil Bandodkar	Swapnil Bandodkar, Pallavi Joshi, Shahzad Ali, Salman Ali, Meghna Mishra, Ananya Wadkar	2:06 10.	"Roshey"	Traditional	Traditional	Noor Mohammad	8:25 11.	"Krishna'S Speech"	Traditional	Rohit Sharma	Noor Mohammad	1:27 12.	"Death Of Sharda"	Instrumental	Rohit Sharma	Instrumental	1:24 13.	"The Kashmir Files Title Theme"	Instrumental	Rohit Sharma	Instrumental	1:06 Total length:	34:59 Notes ^ The opening credits of the film carry the disclaimer: "This film... does not claim accurateness or factuality of historic events".[7] ^ Jump up to:a b In India, reference to JNU has been changed to ANU following the directions of Central Board of Film Certification.[35] In an interview with Lallantop on 16 March 2022, Vivek Agnihotri mentioned that the name of the university has been retained as JNU in the international print of the movie.[36] ^ Kashmiri Muslims were also killed during the insurgency,[79] and in greater numbers, often at the hands of Indian security apparatus.[14][84][85][86] According to the Indian Home Ministry's internal data, 1,583 Hindu civilians were killed in the conflict between 1988 and 2005, while the Muslim civilians killed in the same period numbered 12,245.[87] References ^ Jump up to:a b c d Sebastian, Meryl (15 March 2022). "Kashmir Files Vivek Agnihotri's film exposes India's new fault lines". BBC News. Retrieved 27 April 2022. ^ Jump up to:a b c "The Kashmir Files". British Board of Film Classification. 9 March 2022. Retrieved 9 March 2022. ^ Jump up to:a b Singh, Suhani (15 March 2022). "Why the Kashmir files is a blockbuster". India Today. ^ Jump up to:a b c d "The Kashmir Files Box Office". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 6 May 2022. ^ Jump up to:a b Seta, Fenil (8 February 2022). "Vivek Agnihotri's The Kashmir Files to Clash with Prabhas-starrer Radhe Shyam on March 11". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 11 March 2022. ^ Jump up to:a b c "Kashmir Files, hailed by Modi, triggers anti-Muslim hate speech". Al Jazeera. 17 March 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2022. ^ Kak, Sanjay (13 April 2022), "The dangerous 'truth' of The Kashmir Files", Al Jazeera ^ Akhtar, Rais; Kirk, William, Jammu and Kashmir, State, India, Encyclopaedia Britannica, retrieved 7 August 2019, Jammu and Kashmir, state of India, located in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent in the vicinity of the Karakoram and westernmost Himalayan mountain ranges. The state is part of the larger region of Kashmir, which has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since the partition of the subcontinent in 1947. ^ Jan·Osmaczyk, Edmund (2003), Mango, Anthony (ed.), Encyclopedia of the United Nations and International Agreements: G to M, Taylor & Francis, p. 1191, ISBN 978-0-415-93922-5, Jammu and Kashmir: Territory in northwestern India, subject to a dispute between India and Pakistan. It has borders with Pakistan and China. ^ The exodus followed the rise of violence in an insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir ^ Jump up to:a b c d Mitra, Shilajit (12 March 2022). "Movie Review| Kashmir Files, A limp attempt at provocation". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 12 March 2022. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f g Kumar, Anuj (14 March 2022), "'The Kashmir Files' movie review: A disturbing take which grips and gripes in turns", The Hindu ^ Jump up to:a b c Ali, Asim (15 March 2022). "Don't trust Muslims, leftists or secularists: Why The Kashmir Files is no Schindler's List". Newslaundry. Retrieved 19 March 2022. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f Chakravarty, Ipsita (19 March 2022). "Here are five things 'The Kashmir Files' gets wrong about Kashmir". Scroll.in. Retrieved 19 March 2022. ^ Sherjeel Malik, The Kashmir Files: A One Sided Narrative That Spews Hatred And Misinformation, Kashmir Digits, 12 March 2022. ^ [11][12][13][14][15] ^ * Evans, Alexander (1 March 2002). "A departure from history: Kashmiri Pandits, 1990-2001". Contemporary South Asia. 11 (1): 19–37. doi:10.1080/0958493022000000341. ISSN 0958-4935. S2CID 145573161. My own interviews with a number of KPs in Jammu, many of whom hold Pakistan responsible, suggest suspicions of ethnic cleansing or even genocide are wide of the mark. The two conspiracy theories already described are not evidence based. As Sumantra Bose observes, those Rashtriya Swayam Sevak publications’ claims that large numbers of Hindu shrines were destroyed and Pandits murdered are largely false, to the extent that many of the shrines remain untouched and many of the casualties remain unsubstantiated. Bose, Sumantra (2021), Kashmir at the Crossroads: Inside a 21st-century conflict, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, p. 122, ISBN 978-0-300-25687-1, In 1991 the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the movement’s parent organisation, published a book titled Genocide of Hindus in Kashmir. It claimed among many other things that at least forty Hindu temples in the Kashmir Valley had been desecrated and destroyed by Muslim militants. In February 1993 journalists from India’s leading newsmagazine sallied forth from Delhi to the Valley, armed with a list of twenty-three demolished temples supplied by the national headquarters of the BJP, the movement’s political party. They found that twenty-one of the twenty-three temples were intact. They reported that ‘even in villages where only one or two Pandit families are left, the temples are safe. . . even in villages full of militants. The Pandit families have become custodians of the temples, encouraged by their Muslim neighbours to regularly offer prayers.’ Two temples had sustained minor damage during unrest after a huge, organised Hindu nationalist mob razed a sixteenth-century mosque in the north Indian town of Ayodhya on 6 December 1992. Bhatia, Mohita (2020), Rethinking Conflict at the Margins: Dalits and Borderland Hindus in Jammu and Kashmir, Cambridge, UK and New York: Cambridge University Press, pp. 123–124, ISBN 978-1-108-83602-9, The dominant politics of Jammu representing 'Hindus' as a homogeneous block includes Pandits in the wider 'Hindu' category. It often uses extremely aggressive terms such as 'genocide' or 'ethnic cleansing' to explain their migration and places them in opposition to Kashmiri Muslims. The BJP has appropriated the miseries of Pandits to expand their 'Hindu' constituency and projects them as victims who have been driven out from their homeland by militants and Kashmiri Muslims. Rai, Mridu (2021), "Narratives from exile: Kashmiri Pandits and their construction of the past", in Bose, Sugata; Jalal, Ayesha (eds.), Kashmir and the Future of South Asia, Routledge Contemporary South Asia Series, Routledge, pp. 91–115, 106, ISBN 9781000318845, Among those who stayed on is Sanjay Tickoo who heads the Kashmiri Pandit Sangharsh Samiti (Committee for the Kashmiri Pandits’ Struggle). He had experienced the same threats as the Pandits who left. Yet, though admitting ‘intimidation and violence’ directed at Pandits and four massacres since 1990, he rejects as ‘propaganda’ stories of genocide or mass murder that Pandit organizations outside the Valley have circulated. ^ Roy Chowdhury, Debasish (30 March 2022). "Column: How One Film Marks India's Descent Into Darkness". TIME. The “truth” that the film claims to reveal is that there was a “genocide” of Pandits in the 1990s, hidden by a callous ruling establishment and a servile media. Pandits were killed in their thousands, it claims, and not in the low hundreds as the government and Kashmiri Pandit organizations have stated. ^ Negi, Shrishti (9 March 2022). "The Kashmir Files Producer Pallavi Joshi: Am I Making the Film for Hindu Rashtra? I'm Just Telling a Story". News18. Retrieved 11 March 2022. ^ Poddar, Umang (17 March 2022). "How the BJP is promoting 'The Kashmir Files': Modi's endorsement, tax breaks, leave from work". Scroll.in. Retrieved 18 March 2022. ^ Jump up to:a b Akhil, Kumar (18 March 2022). "How 'The Kashmir Files', Praised By PM Modi, Became A Runaway Success". NDTV. Retrieved 20 March 2022. ^ Jump up to:a b Ghosh, Stutee (10 March 2022). "Review: 'The Kashmir Files' Makes a Compelling Case For Kashmiri Pandits". The Quint. Retrieved 11 March 2022. ^ Jump up to:a b Angadi, Jagadish (12 March 2022). "'The Kashmir Files' movie review: Anupam Kher is brilliant in this heart-wrenching story". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 12 March 2022. ^ Jump up to:a b Lohana, Avinash (11 March 2022). "The Kashmir Files Review: Anupam Kher shines in the film that creates an impact but lacks balance". Pinkvilla. Retrieved 12 March 2022. ^ [22][23][24] ^ Jump up to:a b c d e Sebastian, Meryl (15 March 2022). "Kashmir Files: Vivek Agnihotri's film exposes India's new fault lines". BBC News. Retrieved 15 March 2022. ^ [26][12][11] ^ Jump up to:a b c d e Gupta, Shubhra (12 March 2022). "The Kashmir Files movie review: Anupam Kher is the emotional core of this overwrought film". The Indian Express. Retrieved 12 March 2022. ^ Jump up to:a b "'The Kashmir Files' is Hindutva's latest anti-Muslim weapon". The Siasat Daily. 14 March 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2022. ^ [28][12][29] ^ [6][26][12][28][29] ^ Jump up to:a b c "India's Hindu hardliners jump on Kashmir blockbuster". France 24. AFP. 8 April 2022. Retrieved 10 April 2022. ^ "The Kashmir Files: Videos of Anti-Muslim Hate, Slogans in Theatres Go Viral". TheQuint. 17 March 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2022. ^ "The Kashmir Files Box Office". Bollywood Hungama. ^ "BREAKING: Vivek Agnihotri's The Kashmir Files passed with an 'A' certificate and 7 minor cuts by CBFC; name of the university changed from JNU to ANU". Bollywood Hungama. 8 March 2022. Retrieved 8 March 2022. ^ "The Kashmir Files Interview । Vivek Agnihotri & Pallavi Joshi । Saurabh Dwivedi । the Lallantop". YouTube. ^ "Vivek Agnihotri's The Kashmir Files to go on floors next month". Cinema Express. 1 January 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020. ^ "The Kashmir Files: Vivek Agnihotri announces new film through poster, announces its release on 15 August, 2020". Firstpost. 14 August 2019. Retrieved 18 March 2022. ^ "Vivek Agnihotri to complete trilogy, announces The Delhi Files". Cinema Express. 13 September 2021. Retrieved 19 March 2022. ^ Bhargava, Eshita (7 March 2022). "Vivek Agnihotri on The Kashmir Files: 'I wanted to make a film about people who did not pick up guns'". Firstpost. Retrieved 11 March 2022. ^ "Anupam Kher joins Vivek Agnihotri's next, The Kashmir Files". Bollywood Hungama. 5 December 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2022. ^ "COVID 19 effect: Shooting of 'The Kashmir Files' called off". Entertainment Times. The Times of India. IANS. 17 March 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020. ^ Jump up to:a b "Yograj Singh out of Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri's The Kashmir Files". The Tribune India. 12 December 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2022. ^ Verma, Neha (15 March 2022). "The Kashmir Files DOP Uday Singh Mohite says the shooting experience was depressing. Here's why". India Today. Retrieved 27 April 2022. ^ "Puneet Issar Replaces Yograj Singh In 'The Kashmir Files' Post Singh's Derogatory Remark". Mid-Day. 15 December 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020. ^ Cyril, Grace (9 July 2021). "Kashmir Files line producer Sarahna dies by suicide, Anupam Kher cites depression". India Today. Retrieved 18 March 2022. ^ "It's a wrap for The Kashmir Files". The New Indian Express. 16 January 2021. Retrieved 27 April 2022. ^ Keshri, Shweta (3 April 2022). "The Kashmir Files producer announces next pan-India film, Vivek Agnihotri attends launch event". India Today. Retrieved 2 May 2022. ^ Singh, Suhani (15 March 2022). "Why the Kashmir files is a blockbuster". India Today. Retrieved 15 March 2022. ^ "The Kashmir Files is a 'drama' movie: censor board in RTI reply". The Indian Express. 7 April 2022. Retrieved 9 April 2022. ^ Jump up to:a b c Franks, Josephine (19 March 2022). "Chief censor reviewing classification of The Kashmir Files after concerns from Muslim community". Stuff. Retrieved 23 March 2022. ^ Kai, Ng Wei (9 May 2022). "The Kashmir Files movie banned in Singapore over potential to cause enmity, disrupt harmony". The Straits Times. ^ "NZ tightens Kashmir Files rating after anti-Muslim concerns". The New Zealand Herald. 25 March 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2022. ^ Vidya (8 March 2022). "Plea against The Kashmir Files dismissed by Bombay High Court". India Today. Retrieved 10 March 2022. ^ Dipali, Patel (10 March 2022). "Court stays release of Vivek Agnihotri's The Kashmir Files". India Today. Retrieved 10 March 2022. ^ "Vivek Agnihotri's The Kashmir Files poster gets featured at Times Square on India's 73rd Republic Day". Pinkvilla. IANS. 27 January 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022. ^ "The Kashmir Files box office collection Day 1: Vivek Agnihotri film mints Rs 3.55 crore". The Indian Express. 13 March 2022. Retrieved 13 March 2022. ^ Jump up to:a b "The Kashmir Files Box Office: Screens for Vivek Agnihotri's directorial increased from 650 to 4000 in one week owing to an overwhelming response from the audience". Bollywood Hungama. 18 March 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022. ^ "ZEE5 sets premiere date for 'The Kashmir Files'". The Hindu. Press Trust of India. 25 April 2022. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 26 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022. ^ Jump up to:a b "The Kashmir Files declared tax-free in six BJP-run states". The Indian Express. PTI inputs. 15 March 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2022. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f g Poddar, Umang (17 March 2022). "How the BJP is promoting 'The Kashmir Files': Modi's endorsement, tax breaks, leave from work". Scroll.in. Retrieved 27 April 2022. ^ Jump up to:a b c Bhatia, Sidharth (19 March 2022). "'The Kashmir Files' Is a Manipulative Propaganda Vehicle To Rouse Emotions Against Muslims". The Wire. Retrieved 19 March 2022. ^ Sharma, Akhilesh (15 March 2022). Kumar, Akhil (ed.). "PM Says "Conspiracy", "Campaign To Discredit" Film 'The Kashmir Files'". NDTV. Retrieved 15 March 2022. ^ Tiwary, Deeptiman (19 March 2022). "Kashmir Files director gets Y-category security cover". The Indian Express. Retrieved 19 March 2022. ^ "Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Tripura and Goa declare 'The Kashmir Files' tax-free". The Economic Times. 15 March 2022. Retrieved 15 March 2022. ^ Chowdhury, Rishita Roy (16 March 2022). "Vivek Agnihotri's film The Kashmir Files now tax-free in Bihar". India Today. Retrieved 16 March 2022. ^ "The Kashmir Files goes tax free in Himachal too". The Statesman. 16 March 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022. ^ "More BJP-ruled states make 'The Kashmir Files' movie tax-free". Business Standard India. Press Trust of India. 14 March 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2022. ^ Jump up to:a b c Desai, Rahul (11 March 2022). "The Kashmir Files Is A Defensive And Dishonest Dive Into The Past". Film Companion. ^ Thakur, Tanul (19 March 2022). "As a Film, 'The Kashmir Files' Is Both Laughable and Frightening in Its Relentless Communalism". The Wire. Retrieved 24 March 2022. ^ Jamkhandikar, Shilpa (16 March 2022). "Controversial Kashmir movie praised by India's Modi is box office hit". Reuters. Retrieved 27 March 2022. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f g h Roy Chowdhury, Debasish (30 March 2022). "Column: How One Film Marks India's Descent Into Darkness". TIME. Retrieved 27 April 2022. ^ Kaul, Nitasha (24 March 2022). "Kashmir is not a file: Propaganda and politics in India". The News Minute. Retrieved 27 April 2022. ^ Abhinandan Sekhri (26 March 2022). "The Kashmir Files, reportage on the Kashmiri Pandits, Congress party's survival". Hafta (Podcast). Newslaundry. Event occurs at 26:33. ^ "The Tragedy of 'The Kashmir Files'". My Site. 23 March 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2022. ^ Bhardwaj, Ashutosh (1 April 2022). "Kashmir Files: Flawed Narratives Of The Fault Lines". Outlook. Retrieved 3 May 2022. ^ Ali, Yaqut (24 March 2022). "Watch | 'The Kashmir Files': Reality or Fantasy?". The Wire. Retrieved 10 April 2022. ^ Bhatnagar, Rohit (11 March 2022). "The Kashmir Files review: A preachy tale of facts that lacks attention". The Free Press Journal. Retrieved 12 March 2022. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f g h i Rohmetra, Amogh (13 March 2022). "The Kashmir Files tries showing 1990 exodus 'truth' but Vivek Agnihotri gives it death blow". The Print. Retrieved 27 April 2022. ^ Mona, Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri's The Kashmir Files is a ‘brutally’ honest take, The Tribune (Chandigarh), 13 March 2022. ^ Jump up to:a b Pandita, Rahul (20 January 2014). "There are no goodbyes". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 15 March 2022. ^ The Kashmir Files: The Pandits who never left, Al Jazeera English, via YouTube, May 2022. ^ Pandita, Rahul (21 April 2016). "A cry for Pandits from down south". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 19 March 2022. ^ Bose, Sumantra (2020), Kashmir at the Crossroads, Inside a 21st-Century Conflict., Yale University Press, p. 92, ISBN 978-0-300-25687-1, On 15 March 1990, by which time the Pandit exodus from the Valley was substantially complete, the All-India Kashmiri Pandit Conference, a community organisation, stated that thirty-two Pandits had been killed by militants since the previous autumn. This plausible figure amounted to a third of about one hundred targeted killings by JKLF militants since autumn 1989. (Emphasis added) ^ Bose, Tapan; Mohan, Dinesh; Navlakha, Gautam; Banerjee, Sumanta (31 March 1990), "India's 'Kashmir War'", Economic and Political Weekly, 25 (13): 655, JSTOR 4396095, According to a breakdown of those killed by the militants so far, of the total 100, 32 were Hindus (from both the valley and outside) and the rest Muslims. ^ "'The Kashmir Files' is Hindutva's latest anti-Muslim weapon", The Siasat Daily, 14 March 2022, It is to be noted that in response to a Right to Information (RTI) filed over the number of deaths of Kashmiri pandits killed by terrorists since the inception of militancy in 1990, the district police headquarters in Srinagar revealed official figures that state 89 casualties as compared to 1635 deaths of people of other faiths, during the same time. ^ Swami, Praveen (2007), India, Pakistan and the Secret Jihad: The covert war in Kashmir, 1947–2004, Asian Security Studies, Routledge, p. 175, ISBN 978-0-415-40459-4 ^ Kumar, Anuj (14 March 2022), "'The Kashmir Files' movie review: A disturbing take which grips and gripes in turns", The Hindu, retrieved 27 April 2022, Employing some facts, some half-truths, and plenty of distortions, [the film] propels an alternative view about the Kashmir issue, with the intent to not just provoke... but incite.... In Agnihotri’s documentation, terror has a religion and it appears every Muslim in Kashmir has been a separatist and keen to convert Hindus to Islam.... One fears, in the name of street justice, the clippings of the film will soon end up in social media to fuel further hate against one community. ^ Barton, Naomi (20 March 2022). "'The Kashmir Files' Uses Kashmiri Pandits For Propaganda, and Hates Muslims". The Wire. Retrieved 24 March 2022. ^ Kumar, Anuj (14 March 2022), "'The Kashmir Files' movie review: A disturbing take which grips and gripes in turns", The Hindu, The Kashmiri Pandits’ pain is real and should be expressed in popular culture, but it deserved a more nuanced, more objective take rather than the 'us vs them' worldview that Agnithotri has propagated over 170 minutes.... There is no middle ground for him, as he picks and chooses instances from the past to suit his narrative. ^ Mitra, Shilajit (12 March 2022). "Kashmir Files, A limp attempt at provocation". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 12 March 2022. ... there is not a single moderate [Muslim] in The Kashmir Files.... The fact that no conflict is unidimensional, that there can be multiple oppressed groups in a region, simply doesn’t dawn on this film. ^ "'The Kashmir Files' is Hindutva's latest anti-Muslim weapon", The Siasat Daily, 14 March 2022, A film that is based on the tragedy and exodus of Kashmiri Pandits has instead managed to become a propaganda tool that is being used to rouse anti-Muslim and anti-Kashmiri passions in the country, adding to the current atmosphere of anti-minority hate that has permeated deep in society over the last eight years or so. ^ [28][69][90][91][92] ^ Thusoo, Sumati (15 March 2022). "The Kashmir Files: This Cathartic Film Is Not Without Its Prejudices". The Quint. Retrieved 10 April 2022. ^ Gigoo, Siddhartha (15 March 2022). "The Kashmir Files: Cinema As Testimony". Outlook. Retrieved 27 April 2022. ^ Sharma, Ashutosh (28 March 2022). "Bitter And Divided: 'Kashmir Files' Fuels Polarisation In The Displaced Pandit Community". Outlook. Retrieved 27 April 2022. ^ Jafri, Alishan; Raj, Kaushik (22 March 2022), "We ID'd Anti-Muslim Sloganeers at 'The Kashmir Files' Screenings. What We Found Won't Surprise You", The Wire, retrieved 27 April 2022 ^ Tiwari, Ayush; Saxena, Shivangi; Kumar, Basant (17 March 2022). "Slogans, swearing, the rare sensible take: We watched Kashmir Files at three NCR theatres". Newslaundry. Retrieved 2 April 2022. ^ "Kashmiri Pandit Activist Alleges Harassment Over Remarks on 'The Kashmir Files'". The Wire. PTI. 22 March 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2022. ^ Jump up to:a b c Supriya Sharma, How ‘Kashmir Files’ added to communal fires in Khargone that ended with bulldozer injustice, Scroll.in, 29 April 2022. ^ Sumedha Pal, Inspired by 'Kashmir Files', Hindutva Workers Threaten to Remove Muslims From Roorkee Village, The Wire, 19 April 2022. ^ "The Kashmir Files collects approx. 653k USD [Rs. 5 cr.] in overseas". Bollywood Hungama. 14 March 2022. Retrieved 15 March 2022. ^ "The Kashmir Files Box Office: Film's shows increased from 600 to 2000 after stupendous response". Bollywood Hungama. 13 March 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2022. ^ "The Kashmir Files Box Office: Vivek Agnihotri's directorial survives Khooni Monday test; shows 323% growth and claims the no. 1 spot". Bollywood Hungama. 15 March 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022. ^ The Kashmir Files Is Another Gadar – On Its Way To Create HISTORY, Box Office India, 14 March 2022, retrieved 14 March 2022 ^ "The Kashmir Records Fantastic Weekend – Set For Extraordinary Run". Box Office India. 14 March 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2022. ^ "The Kashmir Files box office day 13 collection: Film crosses ₹200 cr, is highest-grossing Hindi release post pandemic". Hindustan Times. 24 March 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2022. ^ "Kashmir Files: Vivek Agnihotri's becomes first Hindi film to cross Rs 250 crore mark in pandemic era". The Financial Express. The Indian Express. 12 April 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022. ^ "The Kashmir Files hits yet another milestone, enters Rs 200-crore club". Business Standard. ANI. 24 March 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022. ^ Jump up to:a b "The Kashmir Files – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack". Jiosaavn. 19 April 2022. External links The Kashmir Files at IMDb The Kashmir Files at AllMovie The Kashmir Files: The Pandits who never left, Al Jazeera English, via youtube, May 2022. Fact Check: Real Kashmir File is Modi's Failure to Help Pandits, Govt Censorship of Critical Films. The Wire via youtube, March 2022