What Purpose Does The Re-Release Of The Kashmir Files Serve?

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 23 January 2023 The Very Concept Of Peaceful Coexistence Is Already Tottering, Re-Releasing A Volatile Movie Like The Kashmir Files Will Further Vitiate The Whole Scenario With The Stench Of Blood And Miasma Of Hatred. --------------- “When you re-release a political or communal movie, you always have a hidden agenda." The legendary film critic Andrew Sarris (1928-2012) Representative Image | David Bruyland/Pixabay ---- Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri, who produced one of the biggest hits of 2022, The Kashmir Files, took to social media a few days ago to announce that he was re-releasing the most-talked-about movie in theatres, less than 12 months after its release. There's a popular Persian adage, ' Yak Na Shud, Do Shud’ (Another one, as if the first one is not enough). Vivek Agnihotri's ghoulish ' The Kashmir Files ' vindicates this maxim in these turbulent times when Hindu-Muslim equation has hit the nadir and both the communities are at loggerheads with each other. Granted, the cause of Kashmiri Pandits was never addressed well and their exodus has thus far been a hushed up issue due to a raft of political and other factors. But re-screening a macabre film delineating the plight and predicament of a beleaguered community at this critical juncture is not just ill-timed, it reeks of premeditated malice. Muslims have been at the receiving end for quite some time. The idea of ‘othering’ is already trenchant in our collective psyche. The re-release of Agnihotri's gory flick will further alienate a community that has already suffered a lot due to prejudices and stereotypes. Depiction of extreme violence on the celluloid has a debilitating effect on the minds because visual effects are much more lasting and disturbing than audio effects. Muslim bashing seems to have been our national pastime and this hobby-horse is being tacitly encouraged by a pro-Hindu government. The movie's gut-wrenching details of what happened thirty three years ago in the Valley have already envenomed (Hindu) minds against the minority. The entire community has been demonised and Muslims are being projected as demons and fiends. It's like giving the dog a bad name and hanging it. Now the million-dollar question is: Do all Muslims in India deserve to be pilloried? Never. A movie must carry a social message but that message must never create a social mayhem. It must evoke simmering angst but not savage anger that may spill over and create bad-blood. The simmering angst of the audience segues into savage anger while watching the disconcerting delineation of rape, violence, murder and arson and this volcanic anger gets telescoped onto a specific community: The minority. This is a very volatile situation. When an entire community is targeted in this manner, social anarchy, nay anomie, is bound to set in. This movie The Kashmir Files created undesirable ripples in the society and furthered the plight of Muslims. The ghettoisation of Muslims is palpably obvious as the majority finds them (Muslims) to be anti-India. Social media added fuel to fire when it first hit the marquee. This movie was discussed on all social platforms and a specific narrative was created against the minority. Furthermore, making the movie tax free in many states and territories is tantamount to making it (unnecessarily) popular. Violence and retribution are never the solutions. They exacerbate the whole situation beyond redemption. Violence begets violence and hatred paves the way for permanent animosity. If Hindus, esp. Kashmiri Pandits, call this the genocide of Hindus, tomorrow, Muslims will also call Godhra carnage in February 2002 as pogrom. Where'll this end? The very concept of peaceful coexistence is already tottering, re-releasing a volatile movie like The Kashmir Files will further vitiate the whole scenario with the stench of blood and miasma of hatred. The Persian adage, Tang Aamad Ba-Jung Aamad (when cornered, one eventually retaliates violently) will soon validate itself if the marginalisation of Muslims continues at the hands of Hindus. It's, therefore, time to ban the screening of the movie this time around. That'll be a right step towards establishing social harmony. We've had enough of our sanguinary pastimes, vicarious violent voyeurism and bloody excursions. Sanity must prevail and sagacity must get the upper hand in these times of universal lunacy. ---- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://newageislam.com/interfaith-dialogue/kashmir-files-communal-hindus-muslims/d/128941 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism