Supreme Court Advocate Pens A Heartfelt Note On Newly Released Movie ‘The Kashmir Files’

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Ananya Bose
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J Sai Deepak, the Supreme Court Advocate thanked Vivek Agnihotri, the Director of ‘The Kashmir Files’, on Saturday, March 12th, and requested his followers to support the movie.

Based on the genocide of the Kashmiri Hindus by the fanatic Islamists in Kashmir in 1990 and the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus after that. The film stars Anupam Kher, Pallavi Joshi, Mithun Chakraborty, Chinmay Mandlekar, Darshan Kumar, and Mrinal Kulkarni are in lead roles.

Before its release, the film was opposed by many Islamists. After the trailer of the film was published on YouTube, a petition was also filed in the Bombay high court. The petition sought a ban on the release of the film citing that it could potentially hurt the sentiments of the Muslims in the country.

The Bombay high court had dismissed the petition and gave permission to release the film ‘The Kashmir Files’.

He tweeted: “I repeat nothing, could have prepared me for the visceral impact of The Kashmir Files. As a hardcore movie buff, if there is a movie in my memory that captures d sheer power of d cinematic medium to give expression to facts, it has to be The Kashmir Files”.

J Sai Deepak liked the fact that the makers of the film refrained from putting up ‘escapist’ and ‘evasive’ disclaimers from the start and were confident about their research.

The Supreme Court advocate appreciated the style of movie narration, he emphasized the fact that the story constantly switched between the past and present and that proved effective in showcasing the genocide committed against the Kashmiri Hindu Pandits.

“The way the movie brings together Kashmir, student politics, education, the Marxist negation of documented facts & its extra-warm relations wid Islamists is a testament to the work Vivek Agnihotri has put in over the years. In that sense, this movie is the culmination of his previous efforts,” he added.

J Sai Deepak then elaborated on the point how each character in ‘The Kashmir Files’ reflected a generation of Kashmir and its respective vantage point. “Effectively three generations have been captured in the movie, telling us that three generations of Kashmiri Pandits have suffered in independent Bharat,” he added.

The Supreme Court advocate also said that remembering history and its periodic reinforcement is important to ensure that the lived experiences of victims are not denied in society.

“The naming of the characters, from Pushkar Nath Pandit to Sharda Pandit to Bitta and Radhika Menon, and the use of these fused characters to represent multiple real personalities is a testament to Team Vivek Agnihotri’s deeply emotional and intellectual investment in the movie,” he said.

J Sai Deepak further added,

“The movie is not a mere collage of known events. Even that would (have) been an achievement given the current state of Bollywood. But the movie goes much beyond that & invests in multiple layers in every scene, from faith to loss of the home to hope to the realisation of apathy & finally the denial.”

The Supreme Court advocate was awestruck of the cast of ‘The Kashmir Files’. He tweeted, “I think everyone who was part of this movie consciously embraced the trauma and chose to channel it…If watching the movie has such a deep impact, I can’t begin to imagine what making it & playing the characters would (have) done to those involved.”

Despite years of training to the contrary, he could not hold back his emotions after watching the film.

“Some dear friends have often called me a *robot*, but this movie shattered the robotic barrier…This movie is as real and as authentic as it gets & I think deep gratitude is in order for d super talented cast of the movie,” he wrote.

He also appreciated the ‘realistic’ performance of the veteran actor Anupam Kher as ‘Pushkar Nath Pandit’.

“This has to count as Anupam Kher ji’s finest work ever. Even if he manages to do a better job in any other movie, which I doubt is possible, nothing is ever going to come close to this role. He was born for this role. It seems as if his life journey prepared him for this role,” he added.

“For once, I don’t have the words to capture Anupam Kher Ji’s performance except to say that his character spoke to me like an elder from my own family. He has channelled his heritage & the pain of our people through this performance. To me, his Karmic account has been settled,” the advocate continued.

The advocate was all praise for the performance of actress Bhasha Sumbli, he tweeted, “Aptly named *Sharda* in the movie, she represents not just the trauma suffered by the women of the Kashmiri Pandit community, but the genocide of all that Sharda stands for – spirituality, knowledge, family, language, script- Civilisation.”

J Sai Deepak emphasized, “From being forced to eat rice soaked in the blood of her husband to the prescient passing image of the *saw mill* when she drops her son Shiva at the school, you know all through the movie what she is going to be put through & you brace yourself for it. And even that doesn’t prepare you.

He had also applauded the performances of actors Pallavi Joshi, Chinmay Mandlekar, Mithun Chakraborty, and Darshan Kumar.

He pointed out, “As for the rest of the cast, Puneet Issar, Prakash Belawadi, and others provide the perfect supporting foil through their representation of the role of the State establishment and media during the *genocide*, not exodus, of Kashmiri Pandits,”

The Supreme court advocate further added, “What’s poignant throughout the movie is that the characters keep chanting Om Namah Shivay, even when their end is near. The punarsthapana of the Shiva Linga by the third generation of Pandits after the amendment to Article 370 represents Civilisational hope and resurgence.”

He further tweeted:

Based on the genocide of the Kashmiri Hindus by the fanatic Islamists in Kashmir in 1990 and the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus after that. The film stars Anupam Kher, Pallavi Joshi, Mithun Chakraborty, Chinmay Mandlekar, Darshan Kumar, and Mrinal Kulkarni are in lead roles.

Before its release, the film was opposed by many Islamists. After the trailer of the film was published on YouTube, a petition was also filed in the Bombay high court. The petition sought a ban on the release of the film citing that it could potentially hurt the sentiments of the Muslims in the country.

The Bombay high court had dismissed the petition and gave permission to release the film ‘The Kashmir Files’.

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