The Kashmir Files : A history lesson wish we all knew

Once upon a time, writer-director Vivek Agnihotri told us a  Hate Story; this week, he has etched yet another. Mounted like a revisionist docudrama, that tracks the tragic exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from their homeland in the 1990s, 

 Vivek Agnihotri’s fairly graphic and explosive film revisits the exodus and its aftermath. Based on documented reports, it shows the brutalities faced by KP’s because of their religion. 

Be it telecom engineer BK Ganjoo’s murder in a rice barrel, Nadimarg massacre where 24 Hindu Kashmiri Pandits were killed by militants dressed in combat uniforms, or defamatory slogans.

 The film recreates these real life incidents and we see them through the eyes of an ageing nationalist, Pushkar Nath Pandit (Anupam Kher), his four best friends and his on-the-fence grandson, Krishna (Darshan Kumaar). Oblivious to his past, Krishna’s quest for truth forms the story.

Reopening old wounds may not offer a solution but healing can only happen once the trauma is accepted. Agnihotri goes all out without watering down the events and that makes his film an intense watch. He resorts to shock over subtlety. 

A rather muddled storytelling laced with a he-said-she-said narrative; doesn’t allow you to feel at one with the characters or understand their psyche. 

The film skims through multiple issues — Digs at JNU (Jawaharlal Nehru University), media likened to terrorist ki rakhail, selective reportage of foreign media, Indian Army, political warfare, abrogation of Article 370 and mythology and ancient history of Kashmir — all at once. 

Pushkar Nath Pandit and his story leave you teary-eyed but he gets lost in the clutter somewhere and the film feels more long and less detailed. More chaos, less context. 

inside picture of kalyani sangam 

Right to dissent and opposing views find a place, but those one-dimensional characters barely scratch the surface, so the exercise of striking a balance and present conflicting views feels more of a formality.

inside picture of kalyani sangam 

Anupam Kher’s heart-aching performance leaves a lump in your throat. As a man pining for his lost home, Kher is outstanding.

 Pallavi Joshi is equally effective , Given her acting prowess, you wish her character was more layered. 

Chinmay Mandlekar and Mithun Chakraborty are competent in their respective roles.