Kashmir Files has definitely created a buzz in Bollywood and beyond – for many reasons. There is a clear divide amongst the audience, critics and Bollywood stars about the content and narrative that the film tries to build. While audience are thronging the theaters to watch the naked cinematic portrayal of the exodus of Kashmiri Pundits from the valley, there are many who believe that the film is made to stoke communal tension between Hindus and Muslims by exaggerating facts.
What’s good in the movie?
The director of the movie Vivek Agnihotri comes up with a gripping storyline is definitely the biggest positive of the film. Power packed with fantastic direction and world class production, the movie is a brutal experience with its I-am-telling-you-a-naked-truth approach leaving no scope for beating around the bush.
Honestly speaking, there are a lot of other horrific incidents that took place in independent India, but none could match the scale of the exodus of Kashmiri Pundits from the valley.
There is no sugar coating, no hesitation and no attempt to encourage reconciliation. The film also tries to highlight that how information warfare carried out by international media and also certain sections of the society has kept the plight of Kashmiri Pundits under the carpet and denied them justice.
Actors who made it a masterpiece
The Kashmir Files comprises a handpicked star cast consisting of Anupam Kher as Pushkar Nath Pandit, Mithun Chakroborty as IAS officer Brahma Dutt, Pallavi Joshi as Professor Radhika Menon inspired by a real life JNU Professor, Darshan Kumar as Krishna Pandit, Pushkar Nath’s grandson, Chinmay Madlekar as terrorist and current JKLF leader Farooq Ahmed Dar alias Bitta Karate, Prakash Belawadi as Dr. Mahesh Kumar, Puneet Issar as DGP Hari Narain, Atal Shrivastava as Vishnu Ram and Bhasha Sumbli as Sharda Pandit.
What’s not so good in the movie?
There are a few extras who have delivered some extremely lackluster performances that spoil an otherwise brilliant overall performances.
There are many critics who claim that the film could have been much better and widely acceptable if the director had stayed away from overburdening the movie with his personal opinions. Jawahar Lal Nehru University – JNU has been portrayed in bad light throughout the film which raises questions about the credibility and the actual intent of the film in present circumstances. The movie is also facing a lot of criticism for promoting Islamophobia and that is something that could have been avoided
Kashmir Files is indeed a good movie but it could have been a much better film minus the extremes that it tries to touch in storytelling.