Nadav Lapid calls ‘ The Kashmir Files’, “ Vulgar” and “Propaganda” [ Goa , India ]

[ Reported as seen ]

On November 29, an Israeli filmmaker and International Film Festival of India (IFFI) jury chairman Nadav Lapid said called the film based on a ghastly genocide of the Hindus in Kashmir, ‘ The Kashmir Files’ as “vulgar” and “propaganda”. During his closing remarks at the festival, he said he was “shocked” and “disturbed” by the inclusion of the film in the competition section. The 53rd edition of IFFI was held in Goa between November 20 and November 28.

While sharing the jury’s report during the closing ceremony of the festival. He said, “Usually, I don’t read from paper. This time, I want to be precise. I want to thank the director and head of the programming of the festival for its cinematic richness, diversity and complexity…There were 15 films in the international competition — the front window of the festival. Fourteen out of them had cinematic qualities…and evoked vivid discussions. We were, all of us, disturbed and shocked by the 15th film, The Kashmir Files. That felt to us like a propaganda, vulgar movie, inappropriate for a competitive artistic section of such a prestigious film festival.”

He added, “I feel totally comfortable to share these feelings openly here with you on stage since the spirit that we felt in the festival can surely accept a critical discussion which is essential for art and life.”

‘ The Kashmir files’ shows a part of the exodus and genocide of the Hindus living in their homeland Kashmir. The description of the film on IFFI’s website reads, “Krishna Pandit is a young Kashmiri Pandit refugee living with his grandfather Pushkarnath Pandit – who has been a witness to the 1990 genocide of Kashmiri Pandits. He had to flee from Kashmir and has been fighting for the revocation of Article 370 all his life. Krishna believes his parents died in an accident in Kashmir. As a student of JNU, under the influence of his mentor, Professor Radhika Menon, he refutes the genocide and fights for Azad Kashmir, discovering the truth only after his grandfather’s death.”

The 47 year-old scarcely known filmmaker is known for the hate towards his mother land. He was born in Israel’s Tel Aviv. Denying a horrendous mass murder, rape, forceful conversion and crimes unimaginable in the horridity appeared to be a part of a ‘propaganda’, is siding with the criminals who committed it more than 8 times.

Till date the crimes inflicted on the Hindus because of the religion they follow are never looked as a matter of concern in the international  community, but when the victims supported a movie which provided a narrow insight on the crimes they bore, their tears and pain, suddenly became the part fo a ‘propaganda’.

Although, a certain community might stand with such criminals and their crimes but the Hindu community and all of the ones with a clear conscience think otherwise.