The Kashmir Files Creates History at Box Office But Why Bollywood Is Silent; Vivek Agnihotri Reacts

Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri’s latest release ‘The Kashmir Files,’ based on the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley in the 1990s, has evoked the kind of reactions that no one has witnessed in a long time. From India to the US and Australia, the film’s shows are running housefull all over the world. Not only has this film legit brought the audience back to the theatres in the post-Covid era, but has also united the citizens of the country like never before.

The box office figures of ‘The Kashmir Files’ also mark a massive milestone. Made on a small budget, the film, starring Anupam Kher, Mithun Chakraborty, Pallavi Joshi, and Darshan Kumar, has earned over Rs 67.35 crore worldwide in just five days. What is even more surprising is that Tuesday’s business of the film is nearly four times more than its day 1 earnings. According to film trade analyst Taran Adarsh, The Kashmir Files has become the most successful Hindi film of the post-pandemic times. However, while the entire nation including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is talking about the phenomenon that this movie has created, Bollywood has been maintaining a stoic silence on its success.

Barring Kangana Ranaut and Akshay Kumar, no other top Bollywood celebrity has commented or tweeted about the movie. Recently, Kangana hit out at the Hindi film industry for its “pin-drop silence” on The Kashmir Files, while stating that the film’s performance at the box office has broken myths and preconceived notions about the kind of movies that will work at the box office in the post-pandemic phase.

Kangana took to Instagram and wrote a long note, which read, “Please notice the pin-drop silence in the film industry about The Kashmir Files. Not just content even its business is exemplary. Investment and profit proportion might be such a case study that it will be the most successful and profitable film of the year… Bullydawood aur unke chamche sadme mein chale gaye hai (Bollywood bullies and their cronies are in shock).” She concluded her note with, “Not a word sari duniya dekh rahi hai inko lekin phir bhi not a word (the whole world is watching but not them). There time is upp!”

Shaktiman fame Mukesh Khanna also took a sly jibe at Bollywood for not promoting the film. He said, “Film ko promote kariye agar ye bade-bade promoters film ko promote nahin karate hain to. Hamaari industry mein pata nahin kyon log khud ko Bharat se alag prove karte hain. (Promote the film if these big promoters do not promote the film. I don’t know why people in our industry prove themselves differently from India.)”

When asked Vivek Agnihotri about Bollywood’s silence on his film, the director told us, “Why these elite people’s comment on the movie is important? India has changed! All these old establishments are slowly collapsing. The Kashmir Files is a true account. The movie is about real people and their tragedies. It is not about Bollywood. It breaks my heart when I go to theatres and women of my mother’s age cry and touch my feet. People are connecting with the film to a different level and that matters more.”

Anupam Kher, who plays Pushkar Nath Pandit, whose family is a victim of the violence unleashed by the militants in 1990 in The Kashmir Files, said “It is not about Bollywood, it is about real stories. Comment or no comment doesn’t matter.”

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, referring to the response to ‘The Kashmir Files,’ said that the film has rattled the “entire ecosystem” which claims to be the torchbearer of freedom of expression but does not want the truth to be told.

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