(So I just happened to
land on this review of “Kashmir Files” by some unfortunate click, and could not
rest without an attempt to undo some of the injustice and falsehoods in this.
Twitter doesn’t allow enough text length, and so it is
after 9+ years that I had to dig out the
admin page of this blog platform!)
Link
to the Review: https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/the-kashmir-files-anupam-kher-emotional-core-vivek-ranjan-agnihotri-7816266/
This critic's utter lack of comprehension/(or worse,
malicious intent) is painfully exposed in several places by her own hand. Eg:
1)
"…as far as ‘The Kashmir Files’ is concerned, it was not an ‘exodus’, it was a
‘genocide’….. today live like refugees" ...
2)
Her questioning how the grandson in the story does not "know" enough
of his own people’s painful story - reveals 2 things:
1) her woeful ignorance - that not knowing enough, in fact, is not the exception but the norm for the vast majority of KP children (raised majorly by protective, emotionally/spiritually evolved & toxicity-averse KP parents).
2) and/or, she hasn't watched the film (at all) or enough, to identify correctly -as to
what the character "did not know." And why that made sense.
And
for those wondering if the events
depicted in the film were "exaggerated" or "fabricated' by the filmmaker for commercial leverage- one
simple observable fact to refute this, is to know (and see for yourself) that
while watching the movie for the first time, ever-so-often, a KP member in the audience would
fearfully anticipate the exact event/story coming up in the next scene with a
"God..I think they might show that incident now <incident name>.."
(including the blood rice incident , the body chopping incident etc). This is "recall" of stuff they have either experienced, or heard about over years from their own people.
This
review (and all its similarly sponsored cousins) is so poor in intent &
content, it doesn't even the qualify for the evaluation of being "wrong".
But given that KPs have (gracefully and compassionately) coped with & risen beyond horrors so gruesome that many can't even conceive of them as being non-fictitious.. by comparison, peanut-isque sins like these articles will thankfully be responded to, by most KPs- as below:
a) an attempt at responding to all their misinformation with truth-creating
awareness with factual, correction information,
b) expressing (perhaps vocal) verbal disappointment/criticism at their continued lack of understanding/intent (after a)
c) Last (if at all), followed by- at most- an appeal to the cosmic
consciousness/divine forces to bless the person behind this act with wisdom and
enlightenment as a human being- sooner rather than later.
(very
importantly though: this will be without any slightest belief in their right to
"compel" that journey of these ignorant individuals towards the
"right path" as the KP sees it. Knowing fully well (through inherited
wisdom) that the matter between every living being and the cosmic/divine force
is a private one, and merits no interference by any other living being- no
matter how good the intent.)
The KPs' spiritual wisdom and legacy assures them that in the larger scheme of the cosmic play,
any of us who may be steeped in ignorance of truth, and in Doubt, Hate and
unrighteous conduct, are likely to eventually evolve towards Love, Truth, Hope,
Faith & Righteous conduct. Sooner or Later. And in this journey of an
individual, every thought/ action will likely have a reciprocal consequence
-from the supreme consciousness.
Not
only this, the average KP folks have a similar spiritually-evolved response
even for the terrorists’ inhuman sins. Precisely (and thankfully) the reason,
why KPs never resorted to terrorism/ violence for “revenge” with the excuse of
it being justified by the atrocities they suffered.
Oh wait..so… out of curiosity, I searched the same critic’s review of Shikara (Vidhu Vinod’s movie – initially positioned as the “Untold Story of Kashmiri Pandits”- released earlier, and widely disowned and criticized by most KPs (including myself) as a completely weak, washed-out and inaccurate depiction of “The story of KPs”. Even in this “washed out” version- which basically diluted truth with non truth in the proportion of 1 is to 99, this critic’s real lament is only for the “other side” of the story not being told- the story of KPs merely being inconsequential background noise for her. Though she has granted this one 2.5/5 ( 1 pt higher than what she gave 'the Kashmir Files' ) because for her, the “love story” track seems more pertinent and something that redeems the movie a bit- possibly because it doesn’t allow the KPs tragedy to come to the fore (one can imagine that could be because in her opinion- the tragedy doesn’t seem to merit that emphasis).
Out of further curiosity, I looked for her review of Haider- which
clearly had the story of the only tragedy that she seems to passionately recognize in Kashmir: Indian Military’s atrocities on innocent Kashmiris.
https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/haider-review/
As expected, she seems very satisfied with the agenda of the film, and also
praises it for being “spectacular looking”, but has only faulted the movie as being
as having weak screenplay and performances. THIS- being a movie set in the 95- in fresh wake of the KP's genocide/exodus, making NO mention of the KPs story at all. Can you imagine how having a movie on Germany chronicling some events of Hitler's rule that doesn't mention Jews or Holocaust, would be received by Germans or any adult human being of sound mind?
Little do people like this critic realize that no such inaccurate
and agenda-sponsored manuscripts that a KP will read can invalidate or erase the indelible
memories of their own experiences or those of their loved ones’ struggles and the elders’ painful stories
–some of which eventually were shared with the loved ones in fearful and sad fragments
of moments.
They may succeed in misleading the non KP Indians again though, as
has been the active strategy for 3 decades.
And by the way, The Kashmir Files shows only a glimpse - ie, the story of persecution and genocide only
in 1990. The full scale of persecution and even massacre of KPs has run
throughout the history of Kashmir; fresh accounts of pre-1990 years can be
heard by many KPs alive in flesh and blood .
Anyway, in delivering this movie in a shape and form that adheres
to truth and justice, Vivek Agnihotri has pulled off something massively
important for India, Indians and in fact, for humanity at large. And most
massively difficult.
Anupam Kher also deserves a strong appreciation for this HUGE decision
to be a part of this attempt at narrating this truth – at great risk to his
professional network and future in
Bollywood- as this film seems to be completely at odds with the agenda of all
power camps in Bollywood that run the show for all artists. He probably doesn’t
“need” Bollywood
or its camps this much at this stage of his career, but it will still cause a
huge risk and disadvantage all the same, that a lot of actors in his place
would have preferred not to take. The fact that a veteran mainstream Bollywood actor
of his stature was attached to the film
made a lot of difference in the credibility and magnitude of this project.
Had just meant to scribble a
few thoughts. This extended way beyond
that.
Ending this now.
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