Vivek Agnihotri reacts to Nadav Lapid’s ‘The Kashmir Files has fascist feature’ remark

The Kashmir Files director Vivek Agnihotri responded to the Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid’s comment that The Kashmir Files had fascist features. Nadav Lapid was the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) jury head. During the closing ceremony, Nadav called The Kashmir Files a ‘propaganda’ film. Also read: The Kashmir Files got pushed into IFFI due to political pressure, claims Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid

Taking to Twitter, Vivek wrote, “What is common between these? “India is a FASCIST country” “Modi is FASCIST” “BJP is fascist” “Hindu right-wing is FASCIST” “Abrogation of Art 370 a FASCIST decision” “Kashmir is occupied by FASCIST Indian regime” “#TheKashmirFiles is a fascist film.”

Speaking to an Israeli news website, Ynet, Nadav said recently, “It’s crazy, what’s going on here. It’s a government festival and it’s the biggest in India. It’s a film that the Indian government, even if it didn’t actually make it, at least pushed it in an unusual way. It basically justifies the Indian policy in Kashmir, and it has fascist features,” he said, according to a rough translation of the interview in Hebrew.

A video from the festival went viral in which Nadav was seen making controversial remarks about The Kashmir Files at the last day of the 53rd International Film festival. “All of us were disturbed and shocked by the 15th film, The Kashmir Files. That felt like a propaganda, vulgar movie, inappropriate for an artistic competitive section of such a prestigious film festival,” he said.

“I feel totally comfortable to openly share these feelings here with you on this stage. In the spirit of this festival, can surely also accept a critical discussion, which is essential for art and life,” he also said during his speech.

Since then many Bollywood celebrities associated with The Kahsmir Files came out condemning Nadav’s statement. This include Anupam Kher, Vivek Agnihotri, Pallavi Joshi and Darshan Kumaar who reacted to the filmmaker’s comment.

Reacting to the comment, Vivek issued a video in which he said, “I challenge all these urban naxals and the legendary filmmaker who came from Israel that if they can prove any single shot, event or dialogue is not completely true, then I will quit filmmaking. Who are these people who stand up against India every time? These are the same people who never allowed Moplah’s and Kashmir’s truth to come out. These are the same people who were selling burning pyres for just some dollars, and now when I announced my next film ‘The Vaccine War’ they are standing against it also, but I am not afraid, do whatever you want to do but I will fight.”

The Kashmir Files was released earlier in 2022 in theatres and focused on the story of the exodus of Kahsmiri pandits in the 1990s. The movie went on to become one of the highest-grossing Bollywood movies of 2022.

(With inputs from ANI)