Director Vivek Agnihotri and his actor-wife Pallavi Joshi recently reacted to International Film Festival of India (IFFI), jury head and filmmaker Nadav Lapid's remarks on their film The Kashmir Files. In a statement issued on social media, Pallavi, who is also the co-producer of the film, called Lapid a 'genocide denier' and said that his comments were 'rude' and 'vulgur'.
She said, "For decades the international community remained silent on the sufferings of the Kashmiri Pandit Community. After 3 decades, the Indian film industry finally realised that it needs to tell India's story truthfully and objectively."
"Vivek and I were always aware that there are elements that would not like to see the stark truth on the screen, but it is very unfortunate that a creative platform was used for a political agenda to preserve an old, false and jaded narrative about Kashmir. We are overwhelmed by the way people of India rose to defend The Kashmir Files against the rude and vulgar statements of a genocide denier. I would like to assure our audience and supporters that 'The Kashmir Files' remains a people's film," she further added.
Sharing her statement on Instagram, the actor wrote, "Here is my official statement to Nadav Lapid. Jai Hind."
Take a look at it here:
Lapid had criticised Agnihotri's The Kashmir Files, calling it a "propaganda, vulgar movie”. He added that the jury was "disturbed and shocked" to see the film being screened at the festival.
Reacting to Lapid's comments, Agnihotri shared a video statement on his official Twitter handle. He captioned his post, "Terror supporters and Genocide deniers can never silence me. Jai Hind."
Take a look at the video here:
Earlier on 29 November, the filmmaker shared another cryptic tweet following the controversy in which he said, "GM. Truth is the most dangerous thing. It can make people lie. #CreativeConsciousness."
The Kashmir Files was released earlier this year, on 11 March. The film depicts the exodus and killings of the Kashmiri Pandits in the valley in 1990. Several had criticized the film and called out Agnihotri for its propagandist tone. The film features Mithun Chakraborty, Anupam Kher, and Pallavi Joshi in pivotal roles.
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