What Purpose Does The Re-Release Of The Kashmir Files Serve?
By
Sumit Paul, New Age Islam
23 January
2023
The Very Concept Of Peaceful Coexistence Is
Already Tottering, Re-Releasing A Volatile Movie Like The Kashmir Files Will
Further Vitiate The Whole Scenario With The Stench Of Blood And Miasma Of
Hatred.
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“When
you re-release a political or communal movie, you always have a hidden
agenda."
The legendary
film critic Andrew Sarris (1928-2012)
Representative
Image | David Bruyland/Pixabay
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Filmmaker
Vivek Agnihotri, who produced one of the biggest hits of 2022, The Kashmir
Files, took to social media a few days ago to announce that he was
re-releasing the most-talked-about movie in theatres, less than 12 months after
its release.
There's a
popular Persian adage, ' Yak Na Shud, Do Shud’ (Another one, as if the
first one is not enough). Vivek Agnihotri's ghoulish ' The Kashmir Files
' vindicates this maxim in these turbulent times when Hindu-Muslim equation has
hit the nadir and both the communities are at loggerheads with each other.
Granted,
the cause of Kashmiri Pandits was never addressed well and their exodus has
thus far been a hushed up issue due to a raft of political and other factors.
But re-screening a macabre film delineating the plight and predicament of a
beleaguered community at this critical juncture is not just ill-timed, it reeks
of premeditated malice.
Muslims
have been at the receiving end for quite some time. The idea of ‘othering’ is
already trenchant in our collective psyche. The re-release of Agnihotri's gory
flick will further alienate a community that has already suffered a lot due to
prejudices and stereotypes. Depiction of extreme violence on the celluloid has
a debilitating effect on the minds because visual effects are much more lasting
and disturbing than audio effects.
Muslim
bashing seems to have been our national pastime and this hobby-horse is being
tacitly encouraged by a pro-Hindu government. The movie's gut-wrenching details
of what happened thirty three years ago in the Valley have already envenomed
(Hindu) minds against the minority. The entire community has been demonised and
Muslims are being projected as demons and fiends. It's like giving the dog a
bad name and hanging it. Now the million-dollar question is: Do all Muslims in
India deserve to be pilloried? Never.
A movie
must carry a social message but that message must never create a social mayhem.
It must evoke simmering angst but not savage anger that may spill over and
create bad-blood. The simmering angst of the audience segues into savage anger
while watching the disconcerting delineation of rape, violence, murder and
arson and this volcanic anger gets telescoped onto a specific community: The
minority. This is a very volatile situation. When an entire community is
targeted in this manner, social anarchy, nay anomie, is bound to set in.
This movie The
Kashmir Files created undesirable ripples in the society and furthered the
plight of Muslims. The ghettoisation of Muslims is palpably obvious as the
majority finds them (Muslims) to be anti-India.
Social
media added fuel to fire when it first hit the marquee. This movie was
discussed on all social platforms and a specific narrative was created against
the minority. Furthermore, making the movie tax free in many states and
territories is tantamount to making it (unnecessarily) popular.
Violence
and retribution are never the solutions. They exacerbate the whole situation
beyond redemption. Violence begets violence and hatred paves the way for
permanent animosity. If Hindus, esp. Kashmiri Pandits, call this the genocide
of Hindus, tomorrow, Muslims will also call Godhra carnage in February 2002 as
pogrom. Where'll this end? The very concept of peaceful coexistence is already
tottering, re-releasing a volatile movie like The Kashmir Files will
further vitiate the whole scenario with the stench of blood and miasma of
hatred. The Persian adage, Tang Aamad Ba-Jung Aamad (when cornered, one
eventually retaliates violently) will soon validate itself if the
marginalisation of Muslims continues at the hands of Hindus.
It's,
therefore, time to ban the screening of the movie this time around. That'll be
a right step towards establishing social harmony. We've had enough of our
sanguinary pastimes, vicarious violent voyeurism and bloody excursions. Sanity
must prevail and sagacity must get the upper hand in these times of universal
lunacy.
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A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul
is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He
has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several
languages including Persian.
URL: https://newageislam.com/interfaith-dialogue/kashmir-files-communal-hindus-muslims/d/128941
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