'The Kashmir Files': Anupam Kher breaks silence on JNU controversy; 'The truth is...'

In an exclusive conversation with Republic Media Network's Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami on Arnab Debates, Director Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri, Anupam Kher, and Pallavi Joshi spoke about the various controversies that have been doing the rounds after the release of the film, The Kashmir Files. The film, based on the killings and exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Kashmir Valley by Islamic extremists, is set in 1990 during the Kashmir insurgency.

Pallavi speaks about JNU controversy surrounding The Kashmir Files

During the debate, the team comprising Anupam Kher, Vivek Agnihotri and Pallavi Joshi was asked 'why was JNU dragged into the film?"

Responding to this, Pallavi said, "There are multiple narratives joined with Kashmir. Some of the half-truths are conveyed to the people and how the brainwashing of the students have been happening in the universities, who thinks that Azaad Kashmir is probably the best thing to happen?"

'People don't want to know the truth': Anupam Kher

Opening up on the same question, Anupam Kher, who plays the character of a Kashmiri Pandit in The Kashmir Files, stated that, "People don't want to know the truth because it makes their so-called "truth" look like a lie, which is a lie."

When asked about the truth, Kher continued, "The truth is what we have shown in the film, the truth is we have changed the name of the university, we heard the 'Azadi song' there only. We heard the slogans of 'Tere Qatil Zinda Hain, Afzal hum sharminda hain', we heard everybody over there., so what is wrong in depicting that? Where does the word Tukde Tukde gang come from? Let's be honest, especially of the younger people generation which is not influenced by the so-called PHD, doctors. The students of certain universities are there for ages. They have reached the retirement age and they are still there."

Opening up on how the film was made, filmmaker Agnihotri said, "We didn't write this film. Every line was written by terrorists and professors. We interviewed 700 victims. Everyone had been talking about the victims, but nobody was talking with the victims."

Image: Republic World/ Instagram/@naresh.736