Veteran actor Anupam Kher has said that it became possible to make a film like ‘The Kashmir Files’ only after things drastically changed for the better in the country under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose political party BJP came into power in 2014. The Kashmir Files, directed by Vivek Agnihotri, has received an exceptional response across the country, with its screenings going housefull nationwide. The film has earned over Rs 27.15 crore within three days of its release.
In The Kashmir Files, Kher plays a Kashmiri Pandit, Pushkar Nath, who fights for the abrogation of Article 370 after his family is forced to leave the Valley in 1990. On August 5, 2019, the central government withdrew Jammu and Kashmir’s special status under Article 370 and bifurcated the erstwhile state into two Union Territories– J and K with a legislative assembly and Ladakh without one.
Commending the Modi government for repealing Article 370, Kher said he is hopeful that this decision and the impact that The Kashmir Files has made across the world will encourage more and more Kashmiri Hindus to go back to the Valley.
“Things have drastically changed after 2014. India’s image has changed for the better internationally. Also, Article 370 was abrogated by the parliament after a proper argument. It wasn’t like it was abrogated at gunpoint. Why was it not removed earlier in the past 70 years? So, things have changed and we must acknowledge them. We could make this film. All of this happened because the leadership of this country has decided to make this country one of the finest countries in this world. That determination has come from the leadership of this country and we shouldn’t be hesitant to say it out loud,” Kher said.
The actor continued, “Outsiders could never buy land in Kashmir, and Kashmiri Hindus who lived there were driven away. But I think after the abrogation of Article 370 and The Kashmir Files and other efforts, Kashmiri Hindus will start moving back to the Valley. However, this will be a silent change. I believe if 30-40 years down the line our kids are able to go there and settle down then this will be our achievement. It took India 200 years to get freedom. Before that Mughals ruled over us for 800 years, took the lives of so many people. So, I feel after the recent changes that we have witnessed in the country, we will definitely go back to our houses in Kashmir soon.”
Kher further said that in his nearly four-decade-long career he has worked in several blockbusters but none of those films have seen the kind of response The Kashmir Files has got.
“I’m very moved personally both as an actor and as a Kashmiri Pandit that the world is supporting this film. I’m an optimistic person. And it’s because of optimism only that The Kashmir Files is in theatres today. Kashmiri Hindus never picked up guns. We used our knowledge. We have shown patience. Vivek also didn’t make this movie overnight. He researched this subject for four years,” Kher said.
The Kashmir Files, which was released in the theatres on March 11, also stars Mithun Chakraborty, Darshan Kumar, and Pallavi Joshi.
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