Vivek Agnihotri’s new film - The Kashmir Files that focuses on the events surrounding the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits between the late 80’s and early the 90’s, has been triggering a lot of responses from day one.

It’s also perhaps one of the few Bollywood films releases of the Covid-era that continues to be at the box office for 10 days now with steady earnings. 

For comparison, Gangubai Kathiawadi starring Alia Bhatt that was released in February 25 earned Rs 117 crores domestically in three weeks. But recently, after raking up its highest one-day collection yet on 20 March Sunday, The Kashmir Files’ total earnings now stand at Rs 167 crores roughly. This is just in 10 days!

But at the same, Vivek Agnihotri’s film has sparked a political storm with debates around what the film depicts and how polarized its reception has been on the ground. 

While some feel that it’s about time that the painful story of Kashmiri pandits be shared with the country unabashedly, others point out that in the process of dramatization, the movie stray from facts and ends up vilifying and generalizing Kashmiri Muslims.

But amid this cacophony of arguments and counter-arguments, a big question is, who is the film for? Does it serve the purpose of representing the plight of Kashmiri pandits, or does it get politically co-opted?

In this episode of The Big Story, I’ll be joined by Aditya Raj Kaul, the Executive Editor of TV9 Network and Dr Suneem Khan, a Medical Doctor with CRPF at Srinagar who describes himself as a cinephile. We’ll hear from them their views of what the film does and doesn’t.

Tune in!

Host and Producer: Shorbori Purkayastha

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