Filmmaker Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri has consistently delivered impactful cinema that has sparked powerful narratives. A prime example is his directorial The Kashmir Files, which brought the truth of the genocide of Kashmiri Pandits in Kashmir to the forefront. While the film was a commercial blockbuster, it also left a profound impact, with the filmmaker often seen speaking about its significance.
In a recent podcast, when Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri was asked about the impact of The Kashmir Files and what the Kashmiris gained from it, he provided an elaborate justification. He said, “You can ask this question to any Kashmiri Pandit. Ask him what he got out of it.” He further raised the question and justified, “Do you want to know what he got? I will tell you.” Then he answered, “Have you seen the film? Have you seen the last scene of Girija Devi?, I got an email from her family from her sister. And she wrote that for the past 30 years, no one in her family had spoken about Didi. Not a word. After watching your film, we all gathered on Zoom call and we cried all night. For the first time, we have healed. Ask a Kashmiri Pandit what he got out of it. That’s one thing.”
The filmmaker further continued, “Secondly, ask him what India got out of it. India got this film in the capital, in the UK parliament, in Germany, all over the world. The narrative that Kashmir has illegally occupied India. For the first time, the world got an alternate perspective. There was an awareness. Free Kashmir, free Kashmir. People used to raise slogans like it’s a child’s play. Have you heard that after the film came out? After that, Yaseen Malik is in jail. The government has made a tribunal for Kashmiri Pandits to come and give a speech. Today, awareness has arisen about Kashmir. It’s an honor to talk about Kashmiri Pandits today. So, nothing has been done in that film. That film has changed the consciousness of the country. And it has proved that without stars, without any glamour, without any support, if there is strength in your truth, then that thing can reach people.”
On the work front, Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri is coming up with The Bengal Files that is written and directed by him and presented by Tej Narayan Agarwal and I Am Buddha productions, will be released worldwide on September 5.
