Sadia N Qazi
Cinema industry is a powerful tool to define and manipulate the collective
conscious of a society. And the movie industry as massive as Bollywood is sure
to behold its reach to the nook and expanse of its society. Indian film industry
has always been biased in portrayal of Muslims. Its movies often stereotype
Muslims as extremists and terrorists reining the underworld mafia. It has
stooped to a new abyss of darkness with its recent release of a right wing
propaganda movie ‘The Kashmir Files’.
It was recently showcased at International Film Festival held in Goa where an
Israeli filmmaker was also among the jury. In an interview he slammed the
exhibit of the movie quoting that he “knows how to recognise propaganda
disguised as a movie.” He asserted that the movie was pushed into the
prestigious festival owing to the political pressure. Israeli filmmaker’s
criticism of the movie as ‘vulgar’ and ‘propaganda’ ignited a row and many
notables were not happy at such statement. He said many from within Bollywood
came up to him to take back his remarks, but he refused.
Since its release the movie is causing quite turmoil in the already stirring
Islamophobic India. The movie's phenomenal success is not for the right reasons.
Since its show-time, the internet is breaking with the post movie reactions and
extremist incantations. The aftermath of Hindi-language drama film based on
fictional storyline narrating an exodus of Kashmiri pundits from IIOJ&K has
sparked the already existing religious polarization in Indian society. The story
of 1990s exodus of pundits is only a distortion of historical facts and nothing
else.
The movie is written and directed by Vivek Agnihotri starring veteran actors
Mithun Chakraborty, Anupam Kher, Darshan Kumar and Pallavi Joshi. The few
minutes into the movie and we see Muslims lusting after Hindu women, Muslim kids
flaunting Kalashnikovs and insulting Hindu deities, and a Muslim betraying his
Hindu friend to support terrorism. There is a scene where an alleged Muslim
militant tells a Kashmiri Hindu who wore apparel portraying a Hindu god that
only those who will chant “Allah o Akbar” will be allowed to stay in Indian
Occupied Kashmir. The reaction of which in audience was the chants of “Jai Shri
Ram”. Even the Muslim children of Kashmir are depicted as brutal and inhumane.
The movie is graphical in terms of violence with scenes of Muslims in skullcaps
brutally murdering Hindus.
The movie is rated as 18+ due to violence but nowhere is mentioned that it is
some sort of documentary. Despite being a fiction, the movie is being perceived
and propagated as factual historic account of the exodus; it incites violence
against Muslims in general and Kashmiris in particular. The movie was banned in
Singapore by their censor board citing that the film’s provoking and one-sided
portrayal of Muslims has a potential of disrupting social cohesion and religious
harmony.
Historically, in 1990, a large gathering for independence movement was called in
Srinagar by Hurriyat leadership. To crush the movement for independence,
Governor Jagmohan Malhotra was sent with full authority. He gave big blow to the
movement. Within two months of his appointment he was removed due to atrocities
he unleashed against Kashmiri Muslims which was covered by international media.
India had no choice but to oust him. During this period a number of Hindu
minority people living in the valley fled away. During this conflict, 30 to 80
were reportedly killed. So the Kashmir Files movie depicts historically
inaccurate and incorrect facts. The movie presents only one sided story with
evil motive of sabotaging the freedom movement.
It is notable that despite the reservations and criticism of the few circles
from within country, the screening of the movie was elaborated from 600 to 3000
screens. The government gave a tax relief to the movie so that people can buy
the movie tickets at cheaper rates. From government offices special relief and
time offs are granted to watch the movie. The movie is being aggressively
advertised and pushed on social media as well. It is heavily campaigned by the
Hindu nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who hailed it
recommending people to watch it. He appreciated the team of 'The Kashmir Files'
and said more films like this need to be made to tell the ‘truth’.
Made on a budget of approximately $2m, as of 28 April 2022, the film has grossed
more than $39m in India and $5.6m overseas that accumulates to a worldwide gross
collection of $45m. These financials are the highest for any Bollywood movie.
The movie incited a rage across India. Audiences coming out of the theatres were
filled with anger against the Muslims believing what they saw on screen was the
actual account of history. Social media was flooded with videos and posts of the
hate speech against Muslims and the resolve to avenge the so-called genocide by
the Muslims. They were fuelled with hate speech by the Hindutva goons while
watching the movie in the cinemas by raising slogans promoting mortal violence
against Muslims in general and Kashmiri Muslims in particular. Only recently in
Ahmedabad, Gujarat a fanatic group of RSS stopped a mere passer by Muslim
Muhammad Adnan and forcibly showed him the movie on their mobile while beating
him and torturing him. They called out that all Muslims are responsible for what
happened with the Hindu Pundits in 1990s and they are to be made accountable and
punished for the deeds. The Muslims are pestered and victimized all over India
for being responsible for the massacre that never happened.
For some time, India has been making movies, distorting the factual history, and
re-writing their own fictional version of history to malign the Muslims with
their character assassination. With the historical revisionism and appalling
storytelling, India engulfed in the hatred against the Muslims already surpassed
the genocide echelons has descent further into the darkness of racism and
violence. A projecting surge in the Islamophobic hatred incidents across the
Indian states and the aggressive violence against the Muslims is an alarming
humanitarian predicament. The circumstances in Kashmir are no different and
since the revoke of article 370 in 2019, the valley has been turned into a
prison with above the charts atrocious human rights violations. Playing by the
hybrid warfare the objective of the movie is to sabotage the freedom movement
for the right of self-determination in IIOJK screening them as blood thirty
fanatics and propagate the Hindutva agenda of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)
across India.