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The Kashmir Files
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Vivek Agnihotri
Written by	Vivek Agnihotri Saurabh M Pandey
Starring	Mithun Chakraborty Anupam Kher Darshan Kumar Pallavi Joshi Chinmay Mandlekar Prakash Belawadi Puneet Issar
Cinematography	Udaysingh Mohite
Edited by	Shankh Rajadhyaksha
Music by	Score: Rohit Sharma Songs: Swapnil Bandodkar
Production companies	Zee Studios Abhishek Agarwal Arts
Distributed by	Zee Studios
Release date	11 March 2022 (2022-03-11)
Running time	170 minutes
Country	India
Language	Hindi
Box office	est. ₹12.05 crore

The Kashmir Files is a 2022 Indian Hindi-language drama film written and directed by Vivek Agnihotri. Produced by Zee Studios, the film depicts the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus during the Kashmir Insurgency. It stars Anupam Kher, Darshan Kumar, Mithun Chakraborty and Pallavi Joshi.

The film was initially set to release theatrically worldwide on 26 January 2022, coinciding with India's Republic Day, but was postponed due to the Omicron variant spread, and finally theatrically released on 11 March 2022. The film has been declared tax-free in Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat.

Plot

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The movie revolves around the journey of a young student Krishna (Darshan Kumar), who goes from being influenced by Prof. Radhika Menon (Pallavi Joshi) to finally learning about the genocide of his own people.

Cast

• Mithun Chakraborty as Brahma Dutt IAS
• Anupam Kher as Pushkar Nath Pandit
• Darshan Kumar as Krishna Pandit
• Pallavi Joshi as Radhika Menon
• Chinmay Mandlekar as Farooq Ahmed Dar (Bitta Karate)
• Prakash Belawadi as Dr. Mahesh Kumar
• Puneet Issar as DGP Hari Narain
• Bhasha Sumbli as Sharda Pandit
• Sourav Verma as Afzal
• Mrinal Kulkarni as Laxmi Dutt
• Atul Srivastava as Vishnu Ram
• Prithviraj Sarnaik
• Amaan Iqbal as Karan Pandit

Production

On 14 August 2019, Agnihotri announced the film with its first look poster saying, "the film will be an honest investigation into one of the biggest human tragedies". Director Vivek Agnihotri completed the script, stationed at an undisclosed location in the Himalayas. The subject of the film was the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits that took place between the late 80s and early 90s.

As a part of production, Vivek Agnihotri claimed to have interviewed more than 700 emigrants from the exodus and recorded their stories over a period of two years Actor Anupam Kher joined the cast as the lead actor of the film in May 2020. The first schedule of the film was called off due the coronavirus outbreak. Later Agnihotri removed actor Yograj Singh for making speeches at the 2020–2021 Indian farmers' protest, and brought in Puneet Issar as replacement.

Mithun Chakraborty fell ill due to stomach infection during second schedule, but completed his portion few hours later. A line producer, Sarahna died during the production by committing suicide. During the final phase of shooting, director Agnihotri fractured his leg on the set.

Reception

Box office

The Kashmir Files was released in over 630 screens in India on 11 March 2022. Due to strong word-of-mouth, the screens were increased to 2,000 in India on 13 March 2022. The film earned ₹3.55 crore at the domestic box office on its opening day. On its second day, the film showed a growth of 139.44% and earned ₹8.50 crore, taking its total domestic box office collection to ₹12.05 crore.

Critical response

Monika Rawal Kukreja of Hindustan Times described The Kashmir Files as a ‘‘gut-wrenching film that's brazen and brutal’’ and called Kher the ‘‘soul’’ of the film. She wrote, ‘‘The Kashmir Files is not an easy watch. You would cry, sob, feel scared watching the tragedy of lakhs of men and women who were made refugees overnight. Thankfully, it is not your typical Bollywood masala film based on true events and told with the colours of a rainbow. Agnihotri tells the horrible tale as it should have been told’’.

Satya Dosapati of Firstpost called it a ‘‘remarkable’’ film and wrote, ‘‘The Kashmir Files is a movie that needs to be shown to one and all. It’s a reminder to the threats the Indic civilisation is facing and how it’s time we acted in a more resolute and forceful manner to deal with the threats it is — and has been — facing. Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri has done what India has failed to do for 31 years — to show the real face of Kashmiri Hindu genocide’’.

Khushboo Mattoo of CNN-IBN wrote, ‘‘The Kashmir Files is pain in its rawest form because it is closest to the truth, unlike any other movie on the exodus so far. None of the deaths were fictional, none of the tragedies coincidental, none of the wounds exaggerated or underrepresented’’.

Chaiti Narula of India Today awarded the film 4 stars (out of 5) and wrote, ‘‘The Kashmir Files opens up your eyes to stories that were untold - the separatist sympathizing politicians, the impact of religious extremism, a press that ignored the harsh reality on the ground and shows how there was a glorification of terrorists as some kind of revolutionaries. And shows you true, real facts on how, despite this subjugation and bloodshed, the Kashmiri Pandits did not pick up arms. It is heartwarming as the film makes a conspicuous effort to highlight that fact’’.

Joginder Tuteja of Rediff gave the film 4 stars (out of 5) and wrote, ‘‘The Kashmir Files is not an easy film to watch. It isn't the kind of movie where you want to munch a bag of nachos and sip that cola while checking your cellphone. Instead, the film makes you realise that if we are alive today, it's a privilege and not something that should be taken for granted’’.

Oshine Koul of Koimoi gave the film 4 stars (out of 5) and wrote, ‘‘Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri has managed to do what others couldn’t do in past 32 years. His loud and clear vision got him praises from not only Kashmiris but also from those who felt the pain’’.

Jagadish Angadi of Deccan Herald wrote, ‘‘Anupam Kher is brilliant in this heart-wrenching story; Violence inflicted on innocent lives, brutality, massacre, elusive peace, human rights and political agenda, ideologies at conflict make the movie more contemplative’’.

Stutee Ghosh of The Quint gave the film a score of 3.5 (out of 5) and wrote, ‘‘The Kashmir Files boasts of some great performances, evocative background score and an empathetic portrayal of the torture and violence that Kashmiri Pandits had to suffer’’, although she added that "more nuance in writing would have added depth as the binaries drawn try to oversimplify a rather complex issue".

Renuka Vyavahare of Times of India gave the film a rating of 3 stars (out of 5) and wrote, ‘‘Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s romantic drama Shikara got flak for not being the untold story of Kashmiri Pandits as it was pitched to the audience. It however, got you closer to their culture, pain and state of hopelessness. Vivek Agnihotri doesn’t dodge the bullet. He gets the politics and militancy to the forefront. The trauma of being torn away from your home looms in the background’’.

Rohit Bhatnagar of The Free Press Journal gavea mixed review, rating the film a 2.5 out of 5, describing the effort as commendable but the screenplay and acting to be sloppy, and wrote that it "fails to translate the grief on the big canvas".

Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express panned the film by giving it 1.5 stars (out of 5) and wrote, ‘‘The film may not be interested in nuance but what stays with us are the flashes of genuine pain we see in the person of Pushkar Nath, played by Anupam Kher in a credible, moving turn’’.

Litigation

The film was the subject of a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by an Uttar Pradesh resident, and a lawsuit filed by the widow of an Indian Armed Forces squadron leader who had died during the Kashmir Insurgency about one scene involving her husband. The PIL had sought a stay on its release on grounds that it would depict Muslims as killing the Kashmiri Pandits, presenting what it described as a one sided view that would hurt the sentiments of Muslims and could trigger violence against Muslims by inflaming the Hindu community. The PIL was dismissed by a Bombay High Court bench consisting of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice MS Karnii on 8 March, on grounds that the filer should have challenged the certificate issued by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).

Concurrently, the second lawsuit was filed after the widow had seen the film in a special premiere on 4 March who had objected to scenes depicting her husband. The widow stated that she had initially raised her objections at the premiere but the makers ignored her which is why she filed the lawsuit. The widow's lawsuit also said that the film portrayed a false depiction of events and sought a stay on its release. The lawsuit received a favourable judgement and the film's release was stayed by a court order on 10 March, a day before its scheduled release. The order was a permanent prohibitory injunction, which reiterated the plaintiff's claim that the film's depiction of her deceased husband was "entirely unrelated and non-identical to the actual facts" and required deletion or amendment of certain scenes before it could be released.

References

1. ^ "The Kashmir Files". British Board of Film Classification. 9 March 2022. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
2. ^ "The Kashmir Files Box Office". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
3. "The Kashmir Files line producer dies by suicide; heartbroken Anupam Kher writes that the news 'shook' him". Times Now. 9 July 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
4. "Vivek Agnihotri's The Kashmir Files to CLASH with Prabhas-starrer Radhe Shyam on March 11 : Bollywood News". Bollywood Hungama. 8 February 2022. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
5. "Vivek Agnihotri's The Kashmir Files to go on floors next month". Cinema Express. 1 January 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
6. Negi, Shrishti (9 March 2022). "The Kashmir Files Producer Pallavi Joshi: Am I Making the Film for Hindu Rashtra? I'm Just Telling a Story". News18. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
7. "Anupam Kher, Mithun Chakraborty's 'The Kashmir Files' to release on Republic Day 2022". The New Indian Express. 19 November 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
8. "Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri's 'The Kashmir Files' release postponed amid rising COVID-19 cases". Bollywood Hungama. 10 January 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
9. "Vivek Agnihotri's The Kashmir Files to CLASH with Prabhas-starrer Radhe Shyam on March 11". Bollywood Hungama. 8 February 2022. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
10. "'The Kashmir Files' film declared tax-free in Haryana". Asian News International. 11 March 2022. Retrieved 11 March 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
11. "MP में टैक्स फ्री हुई The Kashmir Files, देशभक्तों ने पूरा थियेटर बुक कर देखी फिल्म". ghamasan.com. 11 March 2022. Retrieved 11 March 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
12. "Anupam Kher starrer 'The Kashmir Files' gets tax-free in Gujarat". Times of India. 13 March 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
13. "Vivek Agnihotri's The Kashmir Files to go on floors next month". Cinema Express. 1 January 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
14. "The Kashmir Files: Vivek Agnihotri announces new film through poster, announces its release on 15 August, 2020". Firstpost. 14 August 2019. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
15. "Vivek Agnihotri on The Kashmir Files: 'I wanted to make a film about people who did not pick up guns'-Entertainment News , Firstpost". Firstpost. 7 March 2022. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
16. "COVID 19 effect: Shooting of 'The Kashmir Files' called off". The Times of India. 17 May 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
17. "Yograj Singh out of Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri's The Kashmir Files". The Tribune (Chandigarh). 12 December 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
18. "Puneet Issar Replaces Yograj Singh In 'The Kashmir Files' Post Singh's Derogatory Remark". Mid-Day. 15 December 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
19. "Mithun Chakraborty shoots The Kashmir Files despite serious infection". India Today. 21 December 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
20. "Mithun Chakraborty falls ill on the sets of 'The Kashmir Files'; shoot comes to halt". The Times of India. 21 December 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
21. "The Kashmir Files line producer dies by suicide; heartbroken Anupam Kher writes that the news 'shook' him". Times Now. 9 July 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
22. "'द कश्मीर फाइल्स' के सेट पर डायरेक्टर विवेक अग्निहोत्री को लगी चोट, पैर में हुआ फ्रैक्चर" (in Hindi). News18 India. 30 December 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
23. "The Kashmir Files box office day 1 collection: Anupam Kher's film opens at ₹3.55 crore despite limited release". Hindustan Times. 12 March 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
24. "#TheKashmirFiles springs a BIGGG SURPRISE on Day 1… Despite limited showcasing [630+ screens], the film goes from strength to strength during the course of the day… Evening and night shows EXTRAORDINARY… SOLID GROWTH on Day 2 and 3 is a surety… Fri ₹ 3.55 cr. #India biz". 12 March 2022. Archived from the original on 12 March 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2022 – via Taran Adarsh (Twitter).
25. "'The Kashmir Files' Box Office Collection: Vivek Agnihotri's Riveting Drama Grosses 10.10 Cr On Day 2". ABP Live. 13 March 2022. Retrieved 13 March 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
26. "#TheKashmirFiles emerges triumphant, despite sooo many odds. #India screen count on Day 3 [Sun]: 2000". 13 March 2022. Archived from the original on 13 March 2022. Retrieved 13 March 2022 – via Taran Adarsh (Twitter).
27. "The Kashmir Files Review: A Story of Rotting Hope and Anupam Kher's Finest Contribution to Cinema Yet". CNN-IBN. 5 March 2022. Retrieved 13 March 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
28. ^ "The Kashmir Files movie review: Anupam Kher is the soul of this gut-wrenching film that's brazen and brutal". Hindustan Times. 10 March 2022. Retrieved 11 March 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
29. ^ "'The Kashmir Files' movie review: Anupam Kher is brilliant in this heart-wrenching story". Deccan Herald. 12 March 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
30. Cite error: The named reference TKFPV was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
31. "The Kashmir Files movie review: A remarkable film that brings out gory truth about Hindu genocide in the Valley". Firstpost. 11 March 2022. Retrieved 11 March 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
32. "The Kashmir Files Review: Vivek Agnihotri's Movie is Closest to the Truth, Unlike Any Other in the Past". CNN-IBN. 11 March 2022. Retrieved 11 March 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
33. "Review: The Kashmir Files opened, the bandage ripped off. What do you see?". India Today. 7 March 2022. Retrieved 11 March 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
34. "The Kashmir Files Review". Rediff.com. 11 March 2022. Retrieved 11 March 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
35. "The Kashmir Files Movie Review By A Kashmiri Pandit: The Truth Is So True, It Almost Feels Like A Lie!". Koimoi. 11 March 2022. Retrieved 11 March 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
36. "Review: 'The Kashmir Files' Makes a Compelling Case For Kashmiri Pandits". The Quint. 10 March 2022. Retrieved 11 March 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
37. "The Kashmir Files Movie Review: The Kashmir Files is an unfiltered, disturbing plea to be heard". Times of India. 10 March 2022. Retrieved 11 March 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
38. Bhatnagar, Rohit (11 March 2022). "The Kashmir Files review: A preachy tale of facts that lacks attention". Free Press Journal. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
39. "The Kashmir Files movie review: Anupam Kher is the emotional core of this overwrought film". The Indian Express. 12 March 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
40. Keshri, Shweta (11 March 2022). "Vivek Agnihotri's The Kashmir Files releases today all over India". India Today.
41. ^ Vidya (8 March 2022). "Plea against The Kashmir Files dismissed by Bombay High Court". India Today. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
42. Dipali, Patel (10 March 2022). "Court stays release of Vivek Agnihotri's The Kashmir Files". India Today. Retrieved 10 March 2022.

External links

• The Kashmir Files at IMDb

• 2022 films
• 2022 drama films
• Indian films
• Indian drama films
• Films directed by Vivek Agnihotri
• Hindi-language thriller films
• Kashmir conflict in films