Sushil Pandit explains Kashmiri woman's breakdown at Shikara screening

As a woman broke down after the screening of movie Shikara on Friday, a viewer and social activist Sushil Pandit, who was sitting in the audience, spoke to Republic TV. Sushil Pandit, while talking about the woman breaking down, said that she was upset with the commercialisation and romanticisation of the film. He said that she was unhappy with the “diluted” portrayal of Kashmiri Hindu genocide.

Sushil Pandit on Kashmiri lady’s breakdown 

Explaining the breakdown of the Kashmiri Pandit woman, activist Sushil Pandit said, “I was sitting there, I sat through the entire film and at the end of the film we saw that the makers, producers and the lead actors were there to receive the response from the very first show screening. One lady, who was in the audience felt that this film was romanticising a tragedy in order to glamourise it and commercialise it. She felt that that the real extent of our misery and our tragedy has been diluted for a certain political project for showing some kind of fictitious brotherhood”.  

Read: 'Shikara': Vidhu Vinod Chopra's taunt at distraught Kashmiri Pandit woman panned online

“In the process, the entire issue of our genocide, of lack of justice, lack of understanding it in detail has been completely missed. In fact, it has been deliberately distorted. This was her primary grouse because she felt that this movie was going to highlight Kashmiri Hindu genocide, in the manner it should be," he added.

Read: 'Will make Shikara 2 for you': Vidhu Vinod Chopra taunts distraught Kashmiri Pandit woman

Kashmiri woman’s breakdown at Shikara screening 

A video where the woman is fuming at the filmmaker is going viral on social media. The woman is heard saying, “You showed the kids of Hindu, but not of Muslim, you did not show radicalism, you did not show the truth." "My heart is hurt after watching the movie. This is a ridiculous movie. The genocide was not shown in this,” she said. 

Read: Shikara Movie Review: Film On Kashmiri Pandits' Ordeal Draws Mixed Responses From Fans

She also said, “My parents and my whole community vanished because of Islamist extremism."  "Why did you do politics?” she screamed at Chopra. She concluded, “As a Kashmiri Pandit, I disown the movie” before breaking down. Chopra also got flak for asking the audiences to clap for her when she started lashing out. 

Read: Vidhu Vinod Chopra Reveals Why 'Shikara' Is The Most Difficult Film Of His Career