Kashmir, the Heaven on Earth was not always the heaven for a lot of people there. Kashmir, a place which attracts a lot of tourists from all over the globe, could not even give shelter to the people living there from ages. Kashmir, a state in India itself, doesn't know if it is really a part of India or not.
The recent movie which suddenly attracted the interest of everyone showcases the reality of Kashmir and its people in a way no one ever did. Vivek Agnihotri’s Film “The Kashmir Files” forced everyone sitting in the theatres to shed a tear for those who were victimized in the 1990’s event.
About the Movie
The Kashmir Files is a movie which shows the torture Kashmiri Pandits had to undergo due to some people’s false agenda of Azaadi.
The movie has been written and directed by Vivek Agnihotri under the production of Zee Studious.
Released on 11 March 2022, the movie stars some famous names like Anupam Kher, Mithun Chakraborty, Pallavi Joshi and Darshan Kumar.
Since the release, the movie is getting much appreciation from the audience.
What Film Tells About Kashmir Hundreds of Years Ago?
In a number of scenes, the film focuses on the history of Kashmir and Kashmiri Pandits. Hundreds of years ago, Kashmir was considered the centre of knowledge. A lot of saints, writers, philosophers used to come to Kashmir to attain knowledge.
Shankaracharya, Rishi Kashyap, Vishnu Sharma are some of the names mentioned in the movie.
At those times, Kashmir had a major population of Hindus particularly Pandits or Brahmins. Film indicates at major evidences which shows that how Muslim rulers invaded the valleys of Kashmir and forced the people either to convert to Islam or to run or to die.
“Raliv, Galiv Ya Chaliv” These are the words which used to echo throughout the whole valley.
What Happened in Kashmir in 1990?
Due to Islamic rule for several years, there were two major communities in Kashmir- Kashmiri Pandits and Kashmiri Muslims. There were Kashmiri militants who were violent and wanted Kashmir to be a separate Islamic nation. And that was their definition of Azaadi.
For that, they were using the same agenda i.e. “ Raliv, Galiv ya Chaliv”. Some Kashmiri Pandits escaped and left Kashmir in fear, Some tried to raise their voice and most were killed. The number of Pandits killed was a topic of debate in the movie. In the movie it was shown that the insurgency happened on 19 January 1990, was a genocide.
But the debate over whether it was a genocide or not is clearly visible in the film.
Conditions of Those Who Escaped
A lot of people who somehow escaped from Kashmir were forced to live in a miserable condition in the refugee camps. The people were dying of hunger, heat, snakes etc. There was no one to help these Kashmiri Pandits.
They left Kashmir in hope that someday they would go back to their homes, their motherland. There is a beautiful line used in the movie “No one can ever leave their mother and for Kashmiri Pandits, their Kashmir is their mother”
Some Incidents Which are Hard to Believe But are True
One of the incidents in the movie shows how the Kashmiri militants disguised as Indian Army officers killed twenty four people by fooling them in the name of search operation.
Another incident is there in which the militants forced a woman to eat the rice soaked with her husband’s blood. It is very disturbing but it is true.
In the movie, they have shown the brutality of the militants by using the slogan “We want Kashmir without the Hindu men but with the Hindu women” . Condition of women was so miserable at those times, they were stripped and raped by the militants.
Most hard to see incident shown in the movie was the cutting of a woman in two pieces alive.
These scenes are so disturbing to hear to see on screen, God knows how the people survived witnessing such horrifying incidents. The so-called heaven was no less than hell for Kashmiri Pandits during those times.
Movie Showing the Real Face of the Government
The movie clearly shows the real face of the Government. Government, which is elected to safeguard the lives and dignity of the citizens, did nothing against the terrible incidents taking place in Kashmir.
They remained quiet, ignoring the difficulties Hindus were facing in Kashmir. Movie shows how the chief minister of Kashmir suspended the civil servant Brahma Dutt because he was trying to find a solution and help the people out there.
The movie shows how the Central Government was not taking any action, Kashmir was a part of India, it was the duty of the Central Government to do something but they did not.
Media: The Third Pillar of Democracy
Media is believed to be a medium to show the truth to the people, but the movie has shown how Media can also be influenced by some power. Media never show the difficulties Kashmiri migrants were facing but it telecasted the live interview of the Militant Commander.
Movie also claims that the media fake stories to make people believe that muslims were victimized as a minority.
Half Truth is Worse than Complete Lie
Movie also shows how easy it is to brainwash and mislead the students. A professor is shown to misguide a student telling him only one perspective of the story.
The movie shows how confused the present generation of the country is. They get influenced by people so easily. Krishna Pandit is always in dilemma in the movie, first he believed Pandits are the victims, then he believed Government is the real culprit, then very easily he got convinced that the Indian Army killed his brother and mother but later gets to know it is not true.
Justice to Kashmiri Pandits
After about 30 years, Article 370 was removed by the Government. Is it justice to all the hardships Kashmiri migrants have faced?
They were forced to leave their motherland, many lost their families, forced to live in a miserable condition in a false hope that someday, they would get justice and they would go back to their homes.
Many people died waiting for justice, for the removal of Article 370.
Those who are living in any part of India, are treated as minority. Life has been harsh to them, at least they should be allowed to expect equality in the society.
In fact, there are some people who still believe that the film was released due to some propaganda to diminish the image of Muslim community. No, what I believe is that the movie is made to make people aware of what the Kashmiri Pandits had undergone in the past and what they got by the beliefs of secularism and non-violence.
Written By: Nidhi Jha
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