[…] National Telegraph […]
Written By Daniel Bordman, Posted on March 14, 2022
In January of 1990, a mob of violent radical Islamists drove out 500 000 Kashmiri Hindus under the slogan of “Convert, Leave or Die”. This was the 7th exodus forced on the Kashmiri Pandits, and for 32 long years, no one had the courage to tell their story.
That is why the Kashmir Files has generated so much “controversy” both in India and abroad. Anything that deals with radical Islamist terrorists is bound to draw criticism from the usual suspects, but the Kashmir Files truly leaves no stone unturned.
First, as a movie the Kashmir Files is excellent, 9/10 I highly recommend watching it. What makes the movie work is that it does not pull any punches. This movie is not a “Hindus good, Muslims bad” diatribe. What the film does so well in terms of commentary is that it covers every aspect of evil and its enablers and does not leave the Kashmiri Pandit community out of it.
Yes, the genocidal terrorists are clear villains of the film. The movie properly covers the religious motivations of those who shouted “convert, leave or die” and it is true that that message was blasted from the loudspeakers of the mosques in Kashmir. But the Kashmir Files is a full examination of evil and how it spreads.
Arguably, the chief villain of the film is the character of the “Liberal” professor who is on a crusade to cover for the terrorists and help them invert the narrative to make the perpetrators of the genocide seem like the victims.
The Indian government is not the heroes of this movie either they are excoriated for their appeasement policy towards the terrorist insurgency. It also covers their utter failure to protect and take care of the Kashmiri Hindus who were made to be refugees in their homeland and denied the ability to return to their homes for 30 years.
The media ecosystem that pushed the Pakistani narrative without a critical thought is fully explained, maybe in a bit of a heavy-handed manner, but it doesn’t detract from the plot.
(Photo from the Japan Times)
However, what truly makes the Kashmir Files a great movie and not a propaganda slog is its critical examination of the Kashmiri Pandits and their response to the genocide. The philosophy of “we shouldn’t talk about politics” and the failure of the community to tell the real story is what happened to one of the main character’s families. Instead of telling the truth, the family says a relative died in an “accident” rather than was murdered, because it was easier, which causes him to fall into the clutches of the corrupt revisionistic academics.
It is not just that, the naivety of the Pandits to continuously ignore all the warning signs of impending violence is clearly shown. The Hindu Pandits never picked up a gun to defend themselves, believing that their art, culture, or years of positive relationships with Muslim neighbours would save them. They were wrong. Even after they were slaughtered the first time when they heard chants of “Convert, leave or die” again they still didn’t get the message. Their options were actually covert, leave, die or fight and they did not come to terms with that for decades.
Writer and director Vivek Agnihotri deserves a lot of credit for having the will to fight for years to be able to make this film. There were reports that he could have made a deal with Netflix if he had agreed to not mention Islamic terrorism, which would be akin to making a movie about the Holocaust that doesn’t mention the Nazis. Good for him and his team for not caving to such a cowardly and ridiculous demand.
In India, there is the hypocritical sneering of the Bollywood elites and the aforementioned corrupt narrative-driven academics that castigated the film for imaginary social points from their Western counterparts which the Kashmir Files had to deal with.
In Canada, there is only one theatre brave enough to screen the film, the York Theatre in Richmond Hill. One would think that the city of Brampton, with its very large Hindu population, would be eager to screen India’s most popular film. However, Brampton is also home to those with the most anti-Hindu attitudes which might explain the decision there.
The Kashmir Files is ultimately the Hindu equivalent of Schindler’s List and is primed for an Oscar snub this year. It is a must see for not just those interested in Indian politics and Kashmir, but it has a strong message relatable to anyone concerned about the pressing issues of the modern world. The corruption of academia, the fight against evil, and the failure of appeasement politics, like those of which Joe Biden, are all covered in a way here.
If you are looking for a meaningful movie and are not afraid to sit through scenes of heart wrenching and graphic violence then I highly recommend The Kashmir Files. Tickets and dates can be found by contacting the Hindu Forum Canada which arranged the screening of the movie.
Daniel is the host of political satire show Uninterrupted, runs multiple podcasts and has written for a variety of publications. Daniel is also the communications coordinator of the Canadian Antisemitism Education Foundation. You can find him on Twitter here. Uninterrupted on YouTube
[…] National Telegraph […]
A well written report. Thanks for your effort. It raises awareness.
[…] National Telegraph […]
September 27, 2024
September 18, 2024
Thank you for writing and presenting a non-biased view both on the movie and what actually happened on Kashmir!
Unbiased views… Appreciate 🙏
Appreciate your unbiased review..
Thank you 🙏 🙏🙏
A very nice dissection of the movie with no opinions or bias attitude. Must watch for all across the world Indians and Non-Indians alike…
Genocide on Kashmiri Pandits was hidden by a Media which was and is ………………
Political leaders should be ashaamed for not helping the Pandits
NO settlement plan as yet and the looted wealth has not been returned to Pandits
Islamic Terrorists did this and there is not doubt about it and they must be punished
The reason only one theatre brave enough to screen the film is that Canada is full of Khalistani people, Canadian PM is anti-India as evidenced by his statements on Farmers’ strike and also because though Hindus are always afraid of creating dissension where they live.
Not to mention the corruption of media, constantly drumbeating on islamophobia, but denying islamic terrorism and Hindumisa carried across Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and India.
Only one theater.. So much for freedom of expression.
An honest review. Thanks
Excellent Review!
Excellent
One must have a dare for his review and u have not only dare but also have guts to have a point of view which world has to know
So we’ll said sir. Some politicians are not too happy about this movie as it showcases their indirect complicity. Nowhere in the movie does it have any anti Muslim slant but the fact that Pakistani supported terrorists were all Muslims can’t be ignored.
In Canada, NOW, within 10 days of release in one theatre, the movie is now running in 6-8 theatre in and around Toronto. And it’s running in app 25-30 theatres in total Canada.
Thanks for caring and writing about the Kashmiri Hindus and the movie. Kashmiri Hindus have largely been silenced and forgotten in their own country and any attempt to rekindle their hope, even coming from a foreign land, is much appreciated. Thanks for becoming the voice of the voiceless. I hope everyone watches the movie. A genocide should never be forgotten. Thanks.
Really thorough analysis, specially the Point of View of Kashmiri Hindus themselves who failed to see the future. This even has been playing out in Kashmir and large parts of India for centuries. People forget and move-on, then another genocide happens.
This forgetfulness along with the Indian Elites attitude of looking other way when it is problem of Hindus is astonishing and cruel. In fact the elites and people in Media have tried to brainwash youth with their ability to control narratives. Finally the boiling pot is out in open to see the steam of Islamic terror responsible for all this.
Hope this is a lasting change and continues for long.
India or Hindus has embraced every outside religion with open arms. Never even distinguished any religion as an outside religion. Its great to see jews remember India’s gesture after so many years. Unlike every other religion which has only tried to backstab and butcher Hindus. No wonder jews have progressed so much in today’s world, its just because of their good karma.
Thanks for putting the facts in right perspective.
Thanks for writing the truth🙏
Excellently written article, the movie is a must watch for people who think or believe ☪️ can support kafirs in any way, Kashmiri Pandits learned it a hard way they trusted there neighbors who they stayed with for decades or worked or studied or played with daily but these were the same people who stabbed Kashmiri Hindus back and got most of them killed, what is shown in movie is not even 10% what happened and same triggered liberals Hindus and all ☪️ community, it’s rightly said truth can’t be kept hidden for too long.
Whoever wrote this review seriously nailed it. Apart from acting ,Kashmir Files is a great brave attempt to bring out truth in front of people who like to stick their heads into sand and pretend that Mzlms respect their religion just like we hindus are taught to respect others religions. Unfortunately for us, what Happened in Kashmir is now happening in EVERY SINGLE CITY in India. They are working very hard on changing the demography of India by population explosion of the Bangladeshi Rohingyas (all illegally brought in by the Leftists and Communists government’s in India) .
Indians ,especially hindus seriously need to wake up before we turn into minority