It’s been nearly a month since the release of the movie, “The Kashmir Files”. It’s still trending all over India. The movie with no big Bollywood star as the main lead, has achieved the success that most Bollywood movies yearn for.
The reason for its success is the reality portrayed in the story and its originality. It is about the struggles of the Kashmiri Pandits in the 1990s.
I got to know about the movie through an article and a thought about how the movie has not been promoted on television or social media, popped up in my mind. And, this compelled me to watch the movie as soon as possible.
After watching the movie, I had a burst of mixed reactions. The movie projects the miseries of Kashmiri Pandits through the blood-curdling story of Pushkar Nath Pandit and his grandson, Krishna Pandit.
The Pandits Suffered Unspeakable Horrors
The movie makes its audience aware of the term “genocide”. According to me, genocide is the purposeful killing of a large number of people belonging to a specific community, in order to disrupt one nation’s peace while being patriotic towards another one.
The movie depicts the killing of Indians in Kashmir, especially the Pandits and their families, including women and children.
We, as the audience, face the confusion Krishna does: did the genocide happen or not? It shows how one is not sure about the events when one was not present when the events were taking place.
Some people present around us try to manipulate the situation. This has been shown through the character of Krishna’s teacher, Radhika Menon. But at the same time, the supporters of Pushkar Nath are also present in the movie, such as his four friends.
What About Revoking Article 370?
The movie also makes us curious about Article 370. Article 370 gave Jammu & Kashmir the liberty to have an independent constitution. The people of Kashmir could make their own laws.
In my observation, this allowed them to get the freedom to disrespect the Indian flag. Also, I believe that the women of Kashmir have not been allowed to marry Indians outside Kashmir. The movie talks about the repercussions of Article 370 and demands (as well as supports) the removal of it.
Other than this, The Kashmir Files also represents the condition of Pandit women in the ’90s. For example, in the opening scenes of the movie, the villain (Bitta), asks a woman and her child to stay in Kashmir while asking her to tell her husband to leave.
We knew of such instances, but watching all of it on-screen is a different level of scary. The Kashmir Files is a movie that presents brutal violence in its rawest form.
Beyond The Beauty Of Kashmir
The movie has scenes of murders and killings, torture and harassment, violence against women and children, forceful religious violations etc. The movie is mentally traumatising to say the least.
A person looking for a happy ending movie should not watch this movie. But, I would recommend you watch the movie for its facts. The movie is important to gain an understanding of Kashmir, beyond its beauty and landscapes.
The movie should be watched for its brutal honesty and the horrifying consequences Kashmiri Pandits had to face. I assure you that it is going to make you cry and leave you with a lot of questions.