Red-faced establishment goes into fire-fighting mode

A still from The Kashmir Files

Just when it looked like all the controversies around The Kashmir Files had subsided, the film was firmly put back in the jarring spotlight after the jury head of the recently concluded International Film Festival of India (IFFI) deemed it "vulgar", and an unfit choice for the festival's competitive section.

Though Israeli director Nadav Lapid claimed that his co-jurors shared his opinion that the film that "disturbed and shocked" them "felt like a propaganda", co-juror Sudipto Sen distanced himself from the stance. "It is his personal opinion, because, officially, no discussion happened between [the five jurors]. [At the ceremony], while announcing the awards, we were to read our citation from a printed page, which was [presented to] the festival authorities. But, Nadav expressed his own views. We were not consulted," says Sen, adding that jury members often refrain from political commentary on the shortlisted movies.

Also Read: Vinod Ganatra: No better film than The Kashmir Files for competition

While Sen claims Lapid's opinions were not shared by others, isn't his comment as the jury head synonymous with an official statement from the IFFI jury itself? "All our official communication happens with the authorities and then with the press. We don't make any other comment separately," he responds, alluding to Lapid's decision.

The only Indian on the five-member panel, Sen reveals that the job of jurors is concluded post the official presentation. "After that, if any individual goes on any forum and speaks differently from [what was expressed at] the official presentation, how should the festival own up?"

What happened

Speaking at the 53rd edition of IFFI, jury head Lapid described The Kashmir Files as "propaganda" and "vulgar". In his speech at the closing ceremony, he said he was "disturbed and shocked" to see the film being screened at the film festival. He was subsequently accused of whitewashing Islamist violence and disregarding the plight of Hindus in Kashmir.

Who is Nadav Lapid?
Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid is the jury head of the 53rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI). Via his style of filmmaking, he has also been vocal about his conflicted views of Israel.

Viviek Agnihotri and Darshan Kumar

The selection process
The Kashmir Files was one among three Indian films that were part of the Indian Panorama Section at IFFI on November 22, and was competing against 14 other films in the International Competition. The winner takes home the Golden Peacock title.

As part of the jury, Lapid had no hand in the selection process, and was presented with the 15 films - including The Kashmir Files - at the festival. The winning film was the Spanish offering, I Have Electric Dreams.

Kamalakannan's Kurangu Pedal and Anant Mahadevan's The Storyteller, starring Paresh Rawal, were the other two Indian films on the list.

The jury members
Apart from Sen and Lapid, the jury comprised American producer Jinko Gotoh, French documentary filmmaker and critic Javier Angulo Barturen, and French editor Pascale Chavance.

About The Kashmir Files
Agnihotri's The Kashmir Files, a retelling of the Kashmiri Pandits' exodus in the ‘90s, showcases the pain and suffering of the community. The narration develops around the protagonist, Krishna, a young college student who sets out to discover the truth about the untimely demise of his parents.

Reactions from the cast
Anupam Kher took to Twitter to share: "No matter how high the height of the lie is, it is always small in comparison to the truth." In a video clip, he stated that "some individuals find it difficult to come to terms with the truth about Kashmir, and wish to perceive it through a positive lens". Darshan Kumar claimed that the film depicted the plight of the Kashmiri Pandits community, who continue to fight for justice against the brutal acts of terrorism.

Director Viviek Agnihotri also shared his opinions on social media, and added that he would quit filmmaking if anyone could prove that the film was untrue.