The jury of the 69th National Film Awards declared on Thursday afternoon that ‘The Kashmir Files’ was selected for the Nargis Dutt Award for ‘Best Feature Film on National Integration’.
The film was written and directed by Vivek Agnihotri and was released in March last year.
“This film is the voice of the victims of terrorism in Kashmir. I dedicate this award to victims of terrorism, especially the Kashmiri Hindus,” Agnihotri said on the occasion.
Despite its box office success, the picture was widely criticised by reviewers, politicians, and historians who labelled it a ‘propaganda movie’.
The Kashmir Files is supposed to be a movie on the plight of Kashmiri Pandits who lost their lives due to targeted killings in 1990. It was released on March 11, 2022, and has since sparked controversy.
At the 53rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI) held in November 2022, the film hit the news after the jury labelled it as ‘propaganda.’ The festival’s jury chair, Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid, criticised the movie at the closing ceremony.
“All of us were disturbed and shocked by the 15th film – the movie ‘The Kashmir Files’. That felt to us like a propaganda, vulgar movie, inappropriate for an artistic competitive section of such a prestigious film festival. I feel totally comfortable to share openly these feelings here with you at this stage. In the spirit of the festival, can surely accept a critical discussion, which is essential for art and life,” he had said.
The most evident reactions from right-wing supporters surfaced on the internet soon after its release.
Video reactions surfaced from theaters across the country, wherein chants of ’Jai Shri Ram’ and hate speeches against Muslims were witnessed.
