The Kashmir Files Movie Review: Vivek Agnihotri's Account Of Unhealed Wounds Isn't For The Faint-Hearted

Story

The Kashmir Files opens with two young boys Shiva and Abdul playing cricket in the snow. At a short distance away from them, there's a radio lying down, blaring out the commentary on an India-Pakistan match which features Sachin Tendulkar as one of its players. To an onlooker, it's a harmless, innocent sight until a simultaneous six by Abdul and Sachin (in the match) draws the curtain to reveal the gun-toting militants thirsty for the blood of Kashmiri Pandits in the valley.

One family amongst them is that of Professor Pushkarnath Pandit (Anupam Kher). Unfortunately, tragedy strikes them soon when Farooq Malik Bitta (Chinmay Mandlekar) , the leader of a militant group barges into his house and kills his son. His daughter-in-law is forced to eat her husband's blood-stained rice as his grandson Shiva watches the sight in horror.

Years later, Pushkarnath on his deathbed, expresses his last wish to his other grandson Krishna (Darshan Kumaar) and tells him to spread his ashes in his lost home in Kashmir in the presence of his four old friends, retired divisional commissioner of Kashmir Brahma Dutt (Mithun Chakraborthy), DGP Hari Narain (Puneet Isaar), Dr Mahesh Kumar (Prakash Belawadi) and Vishnu Ram, a journalist (Atul Shrivastava). The reunion rips off the bandage from the old wounds of the horrifying genocide of Kashmiri Hindus in 1990, which ripped Krishna's family apart.

Before Krishna's odyssey into the truth which is buried in the pages of Indian history, he also comes across Professor Radhika Menon (Pallavi Joshi) in his university who has some ulterior motives hidden in her chants of 'Azaadi'. Which side will he choose when it comes to seeking his right to justice?

Direction

Director Vivek Agnihotri addresses the unhealed wounds of the Kashmiri Pandits, who went through brutal torture and unspeakable violence in the Valley way back in 1990. Based on true events and testimonials of those who live to tell the tale of the dance of death which shook humanity, The Kashmir Files depicts how the community had to flee their homeland as the air filled with chants of 'Raliv, Tsalive ya chaliv' (convert, die or leave) by Islamist radicals.

Right from the blood curdling shouts and shrieks to the bloodshed on the streets and inside homes, the filmmaker's haunting narrative leaves you numb. While the first half of the movie throws light on the events which transpired to the Kashmiri Pandit genocide, the second half revolves around how a young Kashmiri Pandit youth finds himself at conflict when he comes across two contrasting point of views on this massacre.

In 2020, filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra had also made a film titled Shikara on the mass exodus of Kashmiri Pandits in the valley. However, his storytelling focused more on the love story of a displaced Kashmiri Pandit couple.

In The Kashmir Files, Agnihotri doesn't flinch from keeping it all raw. He is bold enough to portray the demented assault and the failure of political machinery that stained the pristine valley.

On the flip side, it takes some time to settle into the film and understand the non-linear storytelling. There are places where there's too much of spoon-feeding which could have been easily avoided because sometimes subtleness speaks louder than the noise. The violence in a couple of scenes might be too graphic for a section of the audience.

Also, Agnihotri tries to pack in too many ingredients ranging from the abolition of Article 370 to the politics of separatists but manages to touch them only superficially.

Performances

Among the lot, it's Basha Sumbuli as Sharda Pandit who pulls your heart out with her splendid performance. Be it portraying fear, anguish or disgust, the actress moves you every time she appears on screen.

Anupam Kher is effective as Professor Pushkarnath Pandit. However, the man stumbles a bit in the portions where his character suffers from dementia. The rest of the cast including Mithun Chakraborty, Darshan Kumaar, Punit Issar and Atul Shrivastava put up a good act. However, Darshan needs to hone his skills when it comes to delivering long monologues.

Pallavi Joshi makes for an intriguing watch on screen as Professor Radhika Menon. Chinmay Mandlekar sends shivers down the spine as Farooq Malik Bitta who believes 'Kashmir ke masle ka ek hi hal- Al Jihaad'.

Technical Aspects

Uday Singh Mohite captures the visuals efficaciously; whether it's calmness of the waters of Dal Lake or the darkest period which is written in the blood of innocent lives. Amid the reds and the frosty whites, the cinematographer carves a narrative that's brutal and disturbing with the help of his lens. Shankh Rajadhyaksha's editing could have been more taut since the sluggish pace disappoints a bit.

Music

Rohit Sharma's background score and the use of some Kashmiri verses adds more depth to Vivek Agnihotri's storytelling.

Verdict

While addressing the crowd when a girl from the audience dismisses Krishna's description of the unembellished truth of Kashmir, the latter says, 'Kashmir ka sach itna sach hai ki hamesha jhooth hi lagta hai.'

Vivek Agnihotri's latest outing raises a plea to set the wheels of justice moving for the Kashmiri Pandits.