The Kashmir Files: Provocative, Chilling and Underdog’s Perseverance

काई दिनो बाद हमने कुछ लिखा है
काई दिनो बाद कुछ देखा है

Lost in time, just like this review blog is the story of Kashmiri pandits in "The Kashmir Files". I guess movies which can provide a reel & real video-taped connection like Neerja (Neerja Bhanot A.C. posthumous) or web series Rangbaaz (shot on real life gangsters Shri Prakash Shukla and Anandpal Singh), where audience can go back and google what they saw in movie, has a certain higher retentivity and an appreciation value because they tell you something of this nature happened. And this is why, coming here for The Kashmir Files.

The Kashmir Files _ House Full

I picked up the typewriter as a token of gratitude – this movie has raw courage, content that needs to be told and story of underdog. 

SPEAKing PICtures verdict - 4/5 

What you see?   

Set in the dark era of late 80s-early 90s of Kashmir, story is about genocide of Kashmiri pandits. Instead of a documentary type narration, story oscillates between a current dialogue of liberation (legalized under freedon of speech) and flashbacks of 90s terrorism. While today's son (current student of JNU and running for its prestigious post of President like Kanhaiya Kumar) is feeding on liberal thoughts under Aazadi naarebaazi , his alter ego is discovered in Kashmir when he goes back to perform last rights of his granddad to know what happened to his family in Kashmir via Kashmir Files. In flashbacks, you will see point blank gunshots , barbaric slaughtering , helplessness and genocide/exodus. In current set up, you will see JNU (and masala it feeds on)!  

Whom to see? 

There is a laundry list of actors who will give you safe likable viewing experiences. Special mention to catch attention:

1. Anupam Kher – his old age persona is moving to watch as Pushkar Nath Pandit. Effort put in by him is wow and screen shouts at you when he is on it. You will be in awe while watching some of his screen time.

2. Chinmay Mandlekar –
Bro killed it as JKLF terrorist Farooq Malik Bitta. Every single time he is on screen, he gives you that i-don’t-like-this guy feel. Recall old days of Bollywood when characters (only aided by facial aura) could create the terror. He is able to do that. Brillant!

3. F.R.I.E.N.D.S of Anupam Kher – the bunch already had enough talent to pull a consuming watch time and this was always expected with the likes of Mithun Chakraborty, Prakash Belawadi, Puneet Issar

4. Darshan Kumar as Krishna Pandit– somehow his dialogue delivery wasn’t moving  

5. Atul Srivastava – journalist. Just compare voice (trailer) vs (real interview below) . Apes it really well! Reminded me of Matt Damon interview skills in Inside Job

6. Bhasha Sumbli as Sharda Pandit enacts some most disturbing scenes.

 

Why you will like "The Kashmir Files"?

1. Director has very smartly clubbed videotapes of various anti national voices and stitched them together into characters & sequences. And he did this very seamlessly. Like character of Farooq Malik Bitta is a combo of JKLF terrorists Yasin Malik and Bitta Karate.   

2. Kashmir – bas naam hi kaafi hai

3. Performances by actors

4. You will stay with the movie (yes it is provocative and polarizing) and will move you out of theatre with numbness  

 

What will you not like "The Kashmir Files"?

1. There is no mention of Pakistan which was supporting them (weaponary, etc)

2. Comment on security infrastructure like intelligence , security agencies

3. What happened when immediately after 19^th Jan when Governor Jagmohan was appointed? You will have to Google this…  

4. Songs – some native Kashmiri or Dogri songs which could be remembered like Mission Kashmir’s rind posh maal , etc (especially when makers have lifted a lot of flashbacks from past video tapes)

5. Storywriting isn’t gripping but only felt in parts due power of content and topic of subject. Also, creative liberty is taken too far to solidify content (but it is then NOT based on reality and which is not called out either and general public won't google to verify) 

 

If Kashmiri Pandits are victims, Who are the underdogs?

Underdogs here are makers of the movie : Vivek Agnihotri , Pallavi Joshi (now offered Y category security cover). It takes guts to make something like this, make it raw, open with just 200 allocated screens on Day 0, fight blanket ban in countries with high denomination of Indian diaspora like UAE, Singapore and Qatar , labeled by posh critics as non-reviewable material (I am still not able to digest why will Film Companion not review this - either good or bad but when a movie crosses 100 Cr mark, boycotting isn't professional).

Made on a budget of Rs 60 Cr, collective premium is now Rs 300 Cr + and nations which banned the movie are compelled to release with no cuts. Power can suppress your worldly boundaries but not your perseverance. More power to you…

 

PS: When Jamia Millia Islamia was a central university (passed by an act of Parliament) , I can seldom recall pandits via Kashmiri quota in engineering being a passout/ranker from computer engg, F/O Engg & Tech (JMI)  

I end "The Kashmir Files" review with a fact that my real brother went to Kashmir for his honeymoon…such is the beauty! Admirable (sorry but my laziness is preventing you to view gorgeous landscape pics here 😴, go visit in person )