The Kashmir Files wins Best Film on National Integration
By: Priyal Joshi
One of the rare movies that managed to change Bollywood’s fortune in 2022 was “The Kashmir Files.” When it was released last year, the movie was well-received by audiences and critics alike. At the National Film Awards on August 24, Vivek Agnihotri’s film took home the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration. Pallavi Joshi, his wife and one of the film’s co-creators, earned the Best Supporting Actress prize.
Vivek Agnihotri promptly followed with a message for the audience. He said, “I am in America and got the news in the morning that The Kashmir Files has won the 69th National Award. It is one of the most prestigious awards of our country. I have always said that The Kashmir Files is not only my film but it’s a film for all the Kashmiris, who have been the victim of terrorism in the Valley. It’s the voice of plight of Kashmiris who faced terrorism and it’s medium through which their pain was shared with the whole country. I dedicate this award to all the victims of terrorism.”
The life of Kashmiri Pandits in 1990, during the Kashmir insurgency, is the subject of the film “The Kashmir Files.” Based on video interviews with the first generation victims of The Kashmir Genocide of the Kashmiri Pandit Community, the movie is based on a true story. It is a heartbreaking account of the grief, suffering, struggle, and trauma experienced by Kashmiri pandits and raises important issues regarding democracy, religion, politics, and humanity.
The movie is directed by Vivek Agnihotri, is produced by Zee Studios, IAmBuddha, and Abhishek Agarwal Arts with funding from Tej Narayan Agarwal, Abhishek Agarwal, Pallavi Joshi, and Vivek Agnihotri. The ensemble cast includes Pallavi Joshi as Radhika Menon, Darshan Kumar as Krishna Pandit, Bhasha Sumbali as Shraddha Pandit, and Chinmay Mandlekar as Farooq Malik aka Bitta. Mithun Chakraborty plays Brahma Dutt. Anupam Kher plays Pushkarnath.