The Kashmir Files is a multithreaded, multidimensional creation. It creates parallel universes, thread them together seamlessly, and presents it with ultimate swirls of emotions and thoughts. It navigates between darkness of life and glimmer of hope with sharp curves of art. It hardly gives us any opportunity to take our eyes, attention and heart anywhere.

It challenges prevalent theories, beliefs, assumptions, knowledge, and information. It also questions misused and abused instruments of institutions of “Freedom” and “Democracy” we always believe in so ardently, and mostly so passively.  Of course, with its own cost. 

“Sharda” and “Shiva” make us cry. The conflicts within “Krishna” is so surreal! “Radhika” is a cruel fountain of all the glooms and dooms of “Free World”! We can find several “Radhikas” in our lives in India, in USA and in other parts of the world. Ubiquitous! Another thing. Her cunning smiles, persuasive gesturing, and overconfident cleverness are provocative to the core of our conscience. And, Anupam Kherji, in your role, you have defined the art, its intensity, its unending purpose.

A few minutes into the movie, I was filled with acute shame that I grew up in the time period when all these happened and did not know even 10% of it. I was with a few friends, all crying. All with heavy hearts. Could not see some scenes because we didn’t have courage to watch them. One of my friends comments he has seen movie with more violence, but this one has “real impact”! Then, he elaborates his own feeling: “you know, why? Because this one has “real violence”! This “connection” makes the creativity of The Kashmir Files worthy of watching, watching it again and again.

The Kashmir Files is- 

Not only an art, it is where art transcends into “कर्म” (Karm, Karma)!

This is not only a movie, this is a “National Service”!

This is not only a movie, this is a “momentum” of New India!

The momentum which gives us confidence to unearth unknown, forbidden territories and frontiers without any inhibitions, without thinking a bit about who will finance us or not, who will appreciate us or not, who will “approve” us or not, who will do a role or not! We indulge into seeking “Truth”, the truth of our country, the truth of our conscience, the truth of our civilization and culture, the truth which had created “Kashmir”, the truth which, now, creates "The Kashmir Files”!

I am not able to hold the impulsive urge to cite a few words from a small poem I wrote in the theatre itself watching The Kashmir Files (during the prerelease screening):

“कला की जलती बाती में,

अंतत:,

इतिहास की आँखें खुलीं,

भूगोल की जीभ हिली,

समय-देश को गूढ़-गहरी वेदना मिली।”

There was a time when we said “Vande Matram”, there was a time when we said “भगवान, भारतवर्ष में गूँजे हमारी भारती”, there was a time when we said “पड़ते जिस ओर चरण मेरे, भूगोल उधर दब जाता है”, now, we can say collectively “#TheKashmirFiles”! Or, all these will resonate together with KashmirFiles, will ring in our hearts together. Forever! With all gratitude!

प्रार्थनाएँ! शुभकामनाएँ!

Image source: India TV News