The persecution of the Kashmiri Pandits has been one of the most shocking episodes in the history of mankind. Very few films have tackled this issue. Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri now takes the initiative and presents The Kashmir Files. The film has created a stir on social media and thankfully, it is worth the hype and buzz
The story of the movie: The year is 1990. Pushkar Nath Pandit (Anupam Kher) lives in Srinagar with his son, daughter-in-law Sharda (Bhasha Sumbli), elder grandson Shiva (Prithviraj Sarnaik) and recently born second grandson Krishna. The situation in Kashmir has deteriorated terribly. Pushkar Nath is friends with a righteous IAS officer Brahma Dutt (Mithun Chakraborty), top cop Hari Narayan (Puneet Issar), a journalist Vishnu (Atul Srivastava) and a doctor named Mahesh (Prakash Belawadi). Pushkar banks on these people with the hope that if things go out of hand, Brahma Dutt and Hari Narayan especially would help him and other Kashmiri Pandits in the city. On January 19, 1990, Pushkar’s son is killed by the militant, Farooq Malik Bitta (Chinmay Mandlekar) in his house. The rest of the family members are tortured but are allowed to live. 30 years later, Krishna (Darshan Kumaar) is grown up and studies in a university where he has got influenced by the thoughts of Radhika Menon (Pallavi Joshi). Pushkar has hidden from him the fact that his father was killed by the terrorists. Radhika makes a deep impression on him and she makes him believe that barely a few hundred Kashmiri Pandits were killed, as opposed to the popular narrative. For a special purpose, he goes back to Kashmir where he meets Hari Narayan, Vishnu, Dr Mahesh, Brahma Dutt and Brahma’s wife Lakshmi (Mrinal Kulkarni). This brief trip to Kashmir changes Krishna’s perspective towards the Kashmiri Pandits’ persecution and life in general.
The Kashmir Files starts on a unique note, showing two kids playing cricket exactly the way it’s being depicted on a radio by a commentator. The scene of the murder of Pushkar’s son is a shocker and it makes it clear that Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri is not going to show a watered-down version of the true events. Krishna admitting that he didn’t know about the traditional Kashmiri dishes is intriguing, also because till then, the makers had not revealed about his and his family’s brutal past. The way the government and the police force fail to stop the violence also makes for an astonishing watch. The intermission point will leave viewers disturbed. Post-interval, the present-day track gets better as Krishna learns the truth. His meeting with the terrorist is quite intriguing. The monologue is applause worthy. The final scene in the film is seen to be believed.
Anupam Kher has a supporting role but is the best performer in the film. He delivers a National Award worthy performance. Mithun Chakraborty puts his best foot forward. Darshan Kumaar was decent initially but shows his brilliance in the climax. Pallavi Joshi is natural. Chinmay Mandlekar, who recently wowed audiences with his portrayal of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Pawankhind, is too good as the brutal terrorist. Atul Srivastava leaves a mark. Bhasha Sumbli is a big surprise. Prakash Belawadi, Puneet Issar and Mrinal Kulkarni get limited scope. Child actor Prithviraj Sarnaik plays a difficult part effortlessly.
Rohit Sharma‘s background score has an international feel and enhances the impact. Udaysingh Mohite‘s cinematography is spectacular. The locales of Srinagar, especially Dal Lake, have been shot beautifully. Udai Prakash Singh‘s production design is quite rich. Khatri Irfan‘s costumes are realistic. Futureworks Media Ltd‘s VFX is decent. Shankh Rajyadhyaksha‘s editing is quite good.
Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri‘s story packs a punch. Very few films have been made on this topic. Many are shockingly not even aware of this gut-wrenching episode. As a result, the film will be an eye-opener for many. Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri‘s screenplay is captivating. Despite the back and forth narrative, the film never gets complicated. The writing is simple and hence, the layman would easily be able to comprehend the goings-on. And he has peppered the narrative with shocking episodes, some of which will leave you speechless. Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri‘s dialogues are quite hard hitting.
Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri‘s direction is first-rate. Just like his previous film, The Tashkent Files, this one also has characters, with diverse views, sitting in a room and discussing a past incident and just like the 2019 film, The Kashmir Files also ends with a monologue. Nevertheless, execution and story wise, The Kashmir Files is a completely different film and doesn’t remind one of the predecessor. Vivek’s storytelling is far more improved and makes a better impact. In fact, it won’t be wrong to state that this is his most accomplished work. Despite the long length (2.50 hours), the film doesn’t get boring or dragging even for a moment as a lot is happening every now and then. On the flipside, a few developments are difficult to digest. The track of the university is not entirely convincing and seems unidimensional. Lastly, the violence in the film can be very disturbing. However, it’ll be wrong to count this as a shortcoming as it was very much required.
On the whole, The Kashmir Files is a shocking and disturbing piece of cinema, and also one of the most important films to come out of Bollywood. This film is sure to ignite debates and discussions. But more importantly, it documents the tough situations faced by Kashmiri Pandits and educates a large section of our society about it. Must watch!
My rating – **** out of 5!