Presentation of history in explicit manner and correct perspective has huge impact in shaping the minds of future generations. Just as books, poetry and literature are important, so are films. Films are historical, political, social and cultural artifacts aimed to target maximum audiences. From time to time, they have been widely used to showcase the unknown, untapped and hidden facts and have fueled the aspirations of many like Tahir, a young boy from Mawar valley of Handwara town who also dreams of portraying last thirty years of the valley’s struggle, upheaval and progress through his 10-minute documentary. When asked how he got this idea of creating a documentary, he replies in a subtle tone, “Classes imparted by Onir film making group under the patronage of the Army have given me the confidence and courage to come up with this idea.” Tahir is not the only one wanting to give a clarion narrative of the region, there are several other harbingers of peace and prosperity playing their part through different medium.
Valley is on the upswing ride of development. New tunnels and roads are under construction and are gaining pace; even the remotest of areas have good connectivity and this monumental and colossal change has been possible through continuous efforts of all stakeholders. Government schemes are directly reaching every household and mediators have found the backseat. This peace and progress has not augured well with diabolical and terror mongering organisations who have time and again created unrest and antagonised the environment. The release of Vivek Agnihotri‟s film „The Kashmir Files‟ has raged a spark and once again given the anti-nationalists an opportunity to bake their intentions. „The Kashmir Files‟ is changing all that, and that too, forever. It is bringing the plight of the Kashmiri Pandits to the mainstream. It portrays a story that was concealed all this while and is countering the Kashmir propaganda that was being pushed by the global liberal media till now. The film is based on the testimonies of the people scarred for generations by the insurgency in the State, and presents the tragic exodus as a full-scale genocide, akin to the Holocaust, that was deliberately kept away from the rest of India by the media, the „intellectual‟ lobby and the government of the day because of their vested interests and this is exactly why the global liberal world is mighty scared and shivering.
The discussions on the issue of Kashmir have always been dominated by global liberal platforms; and they never speak about Kashmir. The BBC, for example, pushes Pakistani propaganda when it comes to Kashmir. It tells you what Pakistan‟s now ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan had to say about the Indian Territory. However, it will never tell you how Pakistan-sponsored terrorists butchered minority communities in Kashmir. In today's Twitter-age, lies like Kashmiris addressing their fellow country folk as "Indians" while denouncing their identity as Indians is quite humorous. Even Indian authors like Ashutosh Bhardwaj and others are flaunting a false narrative through their works. However, many proud Kashmiris like Khalid Baig, Imtiyaz Hussian and several others have watched the movie and have raised a need for formal reconciliation as well as rehabilitation of the ill-fated Pandits. A small community of Kashmiri Pandits have returned to Anantnag's Mattan and started rebuilding their houses despite the looming security concerns. Pointless vilification of the movie by Ashutosh Bhardwaj does not take away the truth of the genocide. For those aware of Kashmir's gory history and stakeholders of the popular narrative, it wouldn't take Google searches to recognise a vicious combination of Nivedita Menon and Arundhati Roy played by Pallavi Joshi in the movie. Discrediting the plight of Kashmiri Pandits by whitewashing the torment faced by BK Ganjoo & his wife, Justice Neelkanth Ganjoo, Girija Tickoo, soldiers and several others who lived through the horror of this genocide is criminal.
The constant denial explains why heartless perpetrators like Yasin Malik continue to call themselves "Gandhian" and Bitta Karate, despite his public admission of murders, remains a free man.
A prompt Systematic Integration Testing over the dastardly genocide and a formal reconciliation is the need of the hour. The constant denial of the genocide only makes things worse for an evolving nation like India. Therefore, the film industry in collaboration with business tycoons must come forward and setup theatres in the valley which have been burnt and put to ashes by terror outfits, until then all stakeholders should continue to lead the way in showcasing the rich cultural and political history of valley by inviting youth in their small halls and screens.
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