Mumbai: Terming ‘The Kashmir Files’ as propaganda by one party against another, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut came out in defence of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) jury chief Nadav Lapid who slammed the Vivek Agnihotri film, here on Tuesday.
“This is true about ‘The Kashmir Files’… It was propaganda by one party against another… The maximum number of killings in Kashmir have taken place after this film. Kashmiri Pandits and security personnel were killed… But, a party and the government were busy with publicity,” said Raut to media persons.
Raut asked where ‘The Kashmir Files’ people were when the killings were going on in Kashmir, with even the children of Kashmiri Pandits launching an agitation.
“Nobody stepped forward then… and there were no plans for a ‘Kashmir Files 2.0’ then… Let them make it,” said Raut.
Pallavi Joshi, Anupam Kher calls out Nadav Lapid
The Kashmir Files’ producer and lead actress Pallavi Joshi added to the volley of criticism against Israeli director and screenwriter Nadav Lapid’s comments on her film.
In a media statement, Joshi said: “For decades the international community remained silent on the sufferings of the Kashmiri Pandit community. After three decades the Indian film industry finally realised that it needs to tell India’s story truthfully and objectively.”
Joshi, who played a professor in a university that appeared to be similar to JNU in ‘The Kashmir Files’, added: “Vivek and I were always aware that there are elements that would not like to see the stark truth on the screen, but it is very unfortunate that a creative platform was used for a political agenda to preserve an old, false and jaded narrative about Kashmir.”
In his video, Kher said: “Friends, some people do not like to show or talk about the truth as it is. They like to embellish the truth, decorate it, beautify it, with their favourite flavours and colours. Only then can they digest it. They want the truth about Kashmir to be shown through a beautiful, colourful lens. This is what they have been doing for the past 25-30 years.
“Today, after ‘The Kashmir Film’ has exposed the ugly truth of Kashmir to the world, these people are feeling queasy, they are experiencing spasms in their stomach. If you cannot see and recognise the fearsome horrible truth, then close your eyes and stitch your lips, but don’t make fun of it.
“Don’t make fun of it because we have suffered because of this truth. Our daughters and sisters have been singed by it. This ugly truth has become an inseparable part of our lives. Generations have to live with it. Go, and ask those who have suffered about their pain, their fearful truth.”
Jury member distances himself from Nadav Lapid’s criticism
Meanwhile, filmmaker Sudipto Sen, who served on the jury took to Twitter to state that the opinion of Israeli screenwriter and director Nadav Lapid on ‘The Kashmir Files’ was entirely his own and not shared by his colleagues on the jury.
Clarifying his position, Sen said: “Whatever has been said by IFFI 2022 Jury Chairman Mr Nadav Lapid about the film ‘The Kashmir Files’ from the stage of the closing ceremony of 53rd IFFI was completely his personal opinion.”
He went on to say: “In the official presentation of the Jury Board to the Festival Director and in the official Press Conference, where we four jury members (the fifth had to leave for a personal emergency) were present and interacted with the press, we never mentioned anything about our likes or dislikes. Both were our official collective opinion.”
