Sudipto Sen’s ‘The Kerala Story,’ and it’s not-so-hidden goal of advancing Islamophobia and furthering communal divides by depicting Hindu women being targeted, converted to Islam, and then recruited by ISIS to commit ‘Jihad,’ had already caused plenty of controversy. The film vilified both Islam and the Muslim community, with Muslim men being demonised and an anti-Muslim propaganda was disseminated. That the focal point of the film was also based on misinformation, with unverified claims of 32,000 (Hindu) women being targeted by Muslims for conversion is a moot point. This was later corrected, only after the Courts stepped in. Much damage had already been done.

And now, the trailer for Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan’s ‘72 Hoorain’, promises to further feed in to anti-Muslim propaganda, has been released.

The first clip begins with the voiceover which says, “Tumne jo Jihaad ka raasta chuna hai, wo tumko seedha Jannat me leke jayega, kunwari, anchhui hui, tumhari hongi humesha k liye. (The path of Jihaad that you have chosen, will lead you to heaven, where 72 virgin girls will be yours forever.)”

Visuals of Osama Bin Laden, Ajmal Kasab, Yakub Memon, Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar are also showcased in the teaser video. The director has said in one of his statements that, “The slow poisoning of the mind by perpetrators turns ordinary individuals into suicide bombers. Let us remember that even the bombers themselves, with families like ours, have fallen victim to the twisted beliefs and brainwashing of terrorist leaders. Trapped within the deadly illusion (and lure) of 72 virgins awaiting them in heaven, they embark on a path of wilful destruction, ultimately meeting a gruesome fate,” reports Zee News. Co-producer Ashoke Pandit opined, “The movie will definitely make you ponder certain beliefs prevailing in the society and how they are a mere figment of imagination. It will make you think about the concepts and ideologies that are not even close to reality in any way, and how they are merely used to brainwash people to mould them into terrorists in the name of jihad.”

The teaser can be viewed here: https://twitter.com/taran_adarsh/status/1665244845391380480

As is evident from the description of this movie as well as the words used to promote it, this will be just another anti-Muslim (and anti-Islam) propaganda movie which will depict a Muslim person embarking on the journey of ‘Jihad’ to ensure a place in heaven and enjoy their afterlife with 72 virgin women. As was observed after the release of the Kerala Story, the steady series of release of such propaganda-filled movies appear aimed at Hindu women as the target audience, so that a widespread fear can be instilled in their minds against Muslim men. To substantiate the Hindutva extremist promoted bogey of ‘Love-Jihad’, these fictionalised misinformed movies are now being released.

There are several more such propaganda filled movies set to be released this year in the run up to the general elections of 2024. The teaser for ‘Accident or Conspiracy Godhra’, directed by MK Shivaaksh and produced by BJ Purohit and Ramkumar Pal, has been released and the movie is set to be released in theatres soon. According to the teaser, the film promises to “show the truth” behind what caused the riots. The teaser calls the attack on Sabarmati Express ghastly. Was it a well-planned attack that led to the Gujarat riots or was it a result of a fit of frenzy? The film is ostensibly based on the Nanavati Commission report, which was the commission of inquiry appointed by the government of Gujarat to probe the Godhra train burning incident. The report had upheld the latterly promoted “conspiracy” theory behind the Godhra train fire. The perpetrators behind the Godhra fire involved Muslims from the Signal Falia area and there was no evidence regarding the involvement of any religious or political party in the conspiracy in the post-Godhra violence.

As per the makers of the film, “This movie was made after a lot of hard work and five years of research. Many shocking facts were discovered during the research for this movie, which are well presented in the movie with proof,” as reported by Indiatimes. again, it is evident from the description that this film will be similar to Vivek Agnihotri directed ‘The Kashmir Files’, which had presented a moulded one-sided movie on the Kashmir exodus of the Pandits and painted the Kashmiri Muslims as the sole perpetrators, forgetting to factor in sufferings of the Kashmiri Muslims into the script. Here too, surely the Godhra movie will not talk of the mass rape burning and murder of innocent Muslims in the aftermath of the Godhra train burning, or the charred remains of dead women and children found and buried in an unrecognisable state.They will not mention Bilkis Bano and her continued struggle for justice, as this will not further their divisive agenda.

The teaser can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m80n5BtUglU&t=24s

Another such movie named Tipu, which is a biopic based on the life of Tipu Sultan- the 18th century ruler of the then Mysore kingdom, had been made a few months ago. The announcement regarding the release of Tipu came along with the country-wide release of The Kerala Story. The said announcement of the film was accompanied by a short video clip that makes multiple claims which come off as Islamophobic in nature. The video clip claims that during Tipu’s time, “8000 temples and 27 churches were destroyed.” It also adds, “Four million Hindus were forced to convert to Islam and forced to eat beef.” It further goes on to claim that “more than one lakh Hindus were imprisoned” and that “over 2000 Brahmin families were wiped out in Calicut.” The film’s poster depicts an image of Tipu Sultan with what appears to be black paint smeared on his face, with the tagline: The story of a fanatic sultan. Significantly, the historical sources on which this movie is said to be based upon are unclear.

The teaser can be viewed here: https://twitter.com/taran_adarsh/status/1654021559156350976

The list of propaganda movies planned does not end there. Another forthcoming movie “Ajmer 92” has been deemed as a communally charged movie that has the potential to create a “divide and rift” in the society. Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind president Maulana Mahmood Madanion has urged  the central government to ban this movie and “discourage those who are trying to divide society on communal lines”.

So far a quick search reveals that at least 20 anti-Muslim and anti-minority propaganda films are in the making and scheduled to be released before the general elections of 2024. The main agenda behind releasing such movies is to keep divisions rife, the blood boiling, ensuring that votes are cast on this perpetrated hatred and othering rather than bread and butter issues next year.

Powerful politicians from the present regime and the ideological outfits backing it seem clearly out to exploit mass cinema’s potent properties. Playing on the minds and opinions of the public, such films either instil fear regarding the impending Muslim threat to the nation, or glorify majoritarian politics and beliefs, trigger communal violence, control dissent and all opposing parties or forces, including real, alternative narratives. Propaganda films serve as successful political tools used by political parties to shape a nation’s present belief systems. On one hand, they are promote violent anti-Muslim sentiments, while on the other hand, also glorifying a mythical Hindu mythology and past. Movies with such depictions are also slated for release. Adhi Purush, another movie based on the Ramayana, is slated to be released soon. Additionally, the teaser of Randeep Hooda starrer ‘Swatantra Veer Savarkar’ is also out, which attempts to glorify the life of a political leader who was an aggressive votary of an exclusivist Hindu Nation, the Hindu Rashtra.

The Indian public sphere is smeared with perpetrated hate: inflammatory speeches, inciteful and triggering social media posts, stereotypes being promoted, misinformation being spread. All this ensures that opinions are coloured and exclusion then violence results.  The 1990s and 2000s have seen the mass targeted violence in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Rwanda, so much of it was enabled with a hysterical mass media, giving coinage to the term Journalism as Genocide. The Bosnian targeted killings also led to the establishment of The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) was a United Nations court of law that dealt with war crimes that took place during the conflicts in the Balkans in the 1990s. During its mandate, which lasted from 1993 – 2017, this tribunal “irreversibly changed the landscape of international humanitarian law, provided victims an opportunity to voice the horrors they witnessed and experienced, and proved that those suspected of bearing the greatest responsibility for atrocities committed during armed conflicts can be called to account.”

Going further back to the period between the two World Wars, Nazi Germany had perfected the art of control over “mass entertainment films” to serve their agenda. Both radio and cinema enabled the regime to reach out to large groups of people, including those who didn’t read newspapers.

No work of art can be entirely separated from its creator’s politics, and the same stands true for the entertainment industry of India. The director’s subject choice, the actor’s choice of character, and the writer’s perspective and understanding of the story are crucial. These become even more important when their project seeks to re-enact and portray a historical event or a person who has had an impact on our present. In such cases, the very thin line between presenting ‘history’ and presenting a ‘propaganda’ is frequently blurred – usually on purpose- and the same is not realised by the audience who is at the receiving end of such films. The recent spike in the release of such films, with their explicit preposterous and altered representations of historical events, personalities, and issues, is nothing short of an ideological and cultural onslaught against the country’s most marginalized. The main goal is to turn the  popular imagination against India’s most discriminated, be they Muslims, Christians, Dalits, Adivasis, Women, or the LGBTQIA+ community.

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The post Film as Propaganda: the months between June 2023 & May 2024 appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The Distortion Continues 

Let’s not forget, how Kashmir Files was labeled as “propaganda” and “vulgar” by the head of the jury at the 53rd International Film Festival held in Goa, has stirred outrage in India and Israel. While the film’s makers claimed it to be an honest portrayal of the subject matter, it soon proved out to be an attempt to come up with a propaganda film thus trivializing the truth by marketing the object of hate .The head of the jury, Nadav Lapid, has stood by his initial diagnosis of the film despite the backlash it has received. However, as the head of the jury, it is his responsibility to evaluate the films objectively and provide an honest assessment of their quality.

While it is important to acknowledge and address issues faced by various communities, films that use distorted narratives and sensationalize situations for propaganda purposes can only cause more harm than good. We see the distortion continues with the advent of ‘The Kerala Story’. The filmmakers have made a baseless claim that 32,000 Hindu girls have been converted and are part of the Islamic State, without any credible source to back up their assertion. The filmmakers’ fantasy about Kerala, claiming the film to be based on a true story, is clearly meant for propaganda purposes. The film’s narrative appears to be aimed at creating a false image of the state, promoting communal tensions and creating division among communities.

When Cinema is used to spread hate ?

The use of art to spread misinformation and propaganda is a disturbing trend that needs to be addressed by the authorities. Such films have the potential to create long-term damage by fueling hate and creating divisions that take years to heal. We still see the effect of Kashmir Files and it will continue to contaminate in the coming times and similar will be the story of The Kerala Story. The film claims that 32,000 Hindu girls were converted by the Islamic State. However, the paper by Adil Rasheed titled ‘Why fewer Indians have joined ISIS’ sheds light on the issue of Indian recruits to the Islamic State gives a different story. According to the paper, there are about 40,000 recruits to the Islamic State across the world, with the majority of them coming from Iraq, Afghanistan, Russia, Tunisia, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, France, and other Middle Eastern and European countries.

In contrast, the paper reveals that less than 100 Indian migrants ever left for Islamic State territories in Syria and Afghanistan, and about 155 were detained for having links with it. This indicates that the number of Indian recruits to the Islamic State is significantly lower than that of other countries. The paper also touched on the reasons behind the low number of Indian recruits to the Islamic State. These reasons are both varied and complex. One possible explanation is that India is a predominantly Hindu country, with a large Muslim minority. The paper suggests that Indian Muslims have largely rejected the extremist ideology of the Islamic State and have instead chosen to embrace mainstream Islam. At such a helm of affair movies like The Kerala Story are nothing but an attempt to spread hate using the platform of art and films.

Wrapping up 

As responsible citizens, it is our duty to ensure that we do not fall prey to such propaganda and instead work towards building a harmonious and inclusive society. We must be vigilant in identifying and opposing propaganda films that are created to spread hate and misinformation. At the same time, it is important for filmmakers to be responsible and sensitive towards the subject matter they choose to portray in their films. The use of art to spread hate and division can have serious consequences for our society and must be strongly condemned. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that propaganda films that seek to spread misinformation and create communal tensions do not gain any traction.

(Mohd Ziyaullah Khan is a Sr. Content Writer/Content Head in an IT & Digital Marketing Company in Nagpur)

Courtesy: https://countercurrents.org

The post The Kerala Story: When Cinema Becomes the Tool to Spread Hate appeared first on SabrangIndia.

This claim had baffled many. People started demanding that the makers of the movie give proof of such claims. The fact checking website, AltNews delved deep into these claims and found that the Director, Sen, had based it on an absurd mathematical calculation. According to the AltNews report, Sen, in an interview on YouTube channel ‘The Festival of Bharat’ had said, “In 2010, former Kerala CM Oommen Chandy made a statement before the Kerala assembly. Before my camera, he denied that anything had happened. But in 2010, I documented a case where he (Chandy) said that every year approximately 2,800 to 3,200 girls were taking up Islam. Just calculate it for the following 10 years, and the number is around 32,000.”

Even in this statement that Sen has recently made, where he states that so many girls “were converted to Islam,” there is no record or proof of the corollary: that they were converted and then recruited for the ISIS! Clearly, such a brazen discrepancy in his claims, through his film and then on camera makes it evident that his statements have no basis.

The AltNews report had also found that India Today had reported in 2012 that Oomen Chandy informed the state legislature that 2,667 young women converted to Islam in the state since 2006” (that is, from 2006 to 2012). Again, these are numbers included those women who had converted and did not reflect any data pf those “who joined ISIS after conversion.”

The teaser that was released in November 2022 appeared as if it was a real woman (actual real-life woman) speaking of her experience on camera. Many shared it on social media portraying it as an account of a real person and some news houses like the India Today, had to issue a fact check saying that it is only a movie preview and not a true story.

However, this week after the trailer has been released, again the teaser starts with the claim that the movie “is inspired by many true stories”. People opposing the propaganda of the film have repeatedly sought the evidence behind such claims.

John Brittas, CPI-M member of Rajya Sabha, had written to Union home minister Amit Shah in November 2022 seeking stringent action against the makers of the film and had said that while the film claims that 32,000 women were converted and sent to ISIS, the Union home ministry puts the number at 155 all over the country.

It is believed that the film is based on lives of four couples who had left for Afghanistan in 2016 to live under Islamic law (by the claims of the film). The Print, in a visual representation showed, who they were and where they came from in Kerala.

Source: The Print

It appears the lead protagonist is inspired from the real life of Nimisha from Trivandrum, since she allegedly converted to Islam and her husband, a Christian had converted to Islam. The Print report also states that between 2016 and 2018 only 21 people had thus “fled” to Afghanistan.

A StratNews Global report stated that 60 Indians including 26 males, 13 women and 21 children “fled to Afghanistan between May 2016 and November 2018.” The news portal had conducted an interview with the women who had been widowed and one of the women, Sonia Sebastian, is seen in the video saying that they moved to live under Islamic law (Sharia), the Caliphate and not to join ISIS. She also said she wished to return to India and stay with her husband’s family.

There is also an interview with Nimisha (alias Fatima) where she said she was happy in Khosaran under Islamic law.

A former security official involved in capturing and investigating foreign fighters under Afghanistan’s previous government told The Daily Beast that “a total of 26 Indians were captured and held in Kabul prisons at the time of the fall of the Afghan government [last year].” Of these, only five were women, he said under the condition of anonymity.

As per a United States Country Report on Terrorism (2020) “there were 66 known Indian-origin fighters affiliated with ISIS.” It further states, “Through the end of September (2020), the NIA had investigated 34 terrorism cases it indicated were related to ISIS and arrested 160 persons”.

All these reports, serve as evidence that the claims being made in the yet to be released movie are indeed false and fall flat. While there is enough evidence to disprove these claims, the makers of the film haven’t come up with even one credible source for the preposterous claims being made in the film.

The director Sudipto Sen is known for his closeness to the regime. He was in news recently as the only Indian on the IFFI 2022 jury and the only jury-member to dispute jury president Nadav Lapid’s public censure of ‘The Kashmir Files’. At the closing ceremony of the film festival held in Goa, Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid had described director Vivek Agnihotri’s, The Kashmir Files as a “a propaganda, vulgar movie”. Mr Sen’s denial seen as suspect in December, makes sense now that his own film seems destined to go the Kashmir Files way.

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The post The Kerala Story: a movie with preposterous claims peppered with Islamophobia appeared first on SabrangIndia.

“Public figures” no longer different between exchange of ideas and sharp words. In ‘new’ India, debate has descended to mud-slinging, slur and abuse. Hence.making Islamophobic comments while promoting stereotypes against a minority community fits well with this trend for favoured fim-maker of the New Delhi regime, Vivek Agnihotri.

Not so far back, Vivek Agnihotri used a public platform to stigmatise Muslims, again.

A few days ago, Vivek Agnihotri’s had posted the news that his film, alleged by many to reflect one-sided propaganda. The Kashmir Files, had won the Best Film Award at the Dada Saheb Phalke Award 2023. He had added that he dedicates this award to “all the victims of terrorism, and to all the people of India for your blessings.”

Since the release of The Kashmir Files on March 11, 2022, while right wing supporters and audiences had cheered the release, others –including Kashmiri Pandit organization Kashmiri Pandit Sangharsh samite (KPSS) had sharply criticised the movie for exaggerating facts, sparking undue controversy, and show-casing all Muslim Kashmiris in a bad light. Eyebrows were raised therefore when Agnihotri tweeted the news that his movie was awarded the coveted Dada Sahab Phalke award.

Mohammed Zubair, from the of the fact checking website, Alt News then tweeted a fact-check on the same and clarified that Agnihotri’s tweet regarding winning the prestigious government award was misleading as his movie had won an award at a festival named after Phalke, and not theprestigious DadaSaheb Phalke award.

Md. Zubair had also tweeted a picture of a post put up by Agnihotri, wherein he had said that Fact checking is the biggest media extortion, and is run by terror organisations. Referring to this same, MD. Zubair had captioned his tweet as “this is Mr. Vivek Agnihotri hates fact checkers.”

Another fact checking site had also posted a similar clarification about the film and the award!

Offended by the tweets mentioned above, Vivek Agnihotri then tweeted “No, my dear… I don’t hate fact-checkers, I hate when puncture repairers pretend to be fact checkers. Because you are nothing but just a jehadi pimp of India’s enemies & I know very well who is behind you. हरज़िहादीकावक़्तआताहैऔरतेरावक़्तजल्दीआनेवालाहै, संभलकेरहो” (The time for every ‘Jehadi’ comes, and your time is coming soon, be careful.)

The term ‘Puncture Repairers’ is a derogatory term used for the Muslim Community, used in order to depict that most of the Muslims are illiterates and thus, open their puncture repair shops. The term ‘jehadi’ is used by the right wingers too loosely nowadays, with the aim of projecting them as an enemy of the nation.

To this, Zubair had replied by tweeting “Words like “Jihadi” or “Puncture wala” against Muslims were earlier used by faceless Right Wing trolls. It is now openly being used by Verified trolls like Agnihotri.” Through this tweet, Zubair had brought forth the sense of impunity that is present in people backed up the Right wing, so much so that they are now openly using terms that are derogatory to a minority community. But, even this did not deter Vivek Agnihotri from riding the communal high horse, and he further posted a picture of a Puncture repair shop whose owner name was also written ad Mohammed Zubair. He had captioned the tweet as “please fact-check this.” To this, Zubair tweeted that “Most of your fake and communally misleading claims are punctured here.”

While Zubair’s reply might appear amusing to some, owing to the thick-skin he has had to develop in order to be able to do his work, this incident brings out how people now have no sense of fear before openly saying derogatory words on public platforms. Demeaning language is now used by leaders and faces of the Right wing, with no fear of any consequence or backlash.

The right-wing Hindu nationalist, read supremacists group openly espouse a violent sentiment toward liberals and minorities – including India’s 200 million Muslims, who make up 15% of the country’s 1.3 billion population. Even though India prohibits hate speech under several sections of its penal code, including a section which criminalises “deliberate and malicious acts” intended to insult religious beliefs, the government’s silence has only emboldened these the supports of the Right Wing further.

On the one hand, the members and supporters of the Right Wing are being given a free hand at “expressing” their beliefs and opinions, most of which are targeted against the gender, religious and caste minorities, people protesting against the Government or support Left inclined ideology are illegally jailed or their words banned.

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The post In his Twitter exchange with a journalist, Vivek Agnihotri makes Islamophobic remarks about Muslims appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Last week, the managing director of the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) which organised the International Film Festival of India last November (2022), Ravindra Bhakar, was “replaced” (Sic) by the ministry of information and broadcasting last week. The Indian Express reported this today.

This IFFE event in November 2022 had generated much debate when, at the closing ceremony of the film festival held in Goa, the jury president of the IFFI, Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid had described director Vivek Agnihotri’s, The Kashmir Files as a “a propaganda, vulgar movie”. The movie centred around the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from Kashmir in the 1990s was unworthy of being included in the International Competition section at IFFI, Lapid had said.

The renowned Israeli filmmaker had made the comments while addressing an audience that included Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Anurag Singh Thakur, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Union Ministers of State L Murugan and Shripad Naik.

Not a regime to tolerate policy or ideological criticism, five days ago, reportedly on January 11, the Centre removed Bhakar from his post at the National Film Development Corporation and handed over its interim charge to Prithul Kumar, the joint secretary (films). Bhakar had been given the charge of National Film Development Corporation in December 2021. He still continues to be the chief of the Central Board of Film Certification.

Nadav Lapid’s criticism

In his widely publicised speech, Lapid had said he and other jury members were “shocked and disturbed” that the The Kashmir Files had been included in the film festival’s International Competition section. Some Indian ‘eminents’ on the jury had either remained silent or detracted from Lapid’s statement. Within hours of his speech, director Sudipto Sen, the only Indian panel member, had claimed that Lapid was speaking in his personal capacity and his criticism did not reflect the views of the panel. However, several of the remaining members of the panel — – American producer Jinko Gotoh, French film editor Pascale Chavance and French documentary filmmaker Javier Angulo Barturen – disagreed with Sen, saying that Lapid made the statement on behalf of the jury.

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The Kashmir Files: Calls for Muslim genocide ring out in cinema halls, hate brews outside

The post Centre ‘replaces’ chief of film body which organised IFFI: Kashmir Files controversy appeared first on SabrangIndia.

New Delhi: Israel’s ambassador to India Naor Gilon on Saturday today, Saturday, December 3,posted a screenshot of a message he said he had received on Twitter, justifying the holocaust and praising Hitler, days after he intervened in a controversy surrounding the movie ‘The Kashmir Files’.

The ambassador also said he was withholding the identity of the person who sent him the message to protect him. In a follow-up tweet, Mr Gilon said he was also “touched” by the support he received upon posting the message.

The message came a few days after the Israeli envoy publicly condemned an acclaimed Israeli filmmaker, Nadav Lapid, who called ‘The Kashmir Files’ a “propaganda” and “vulgar movie” at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa.

Mr Gilon had, within hours of the denunciation, also apologised to India in an “open letter” on Twitter, on Tuesday, a day after filmmaker Nadav Lapid, who is heading the festival jury, slammed the movie at the closing ceremony of the festival yesterday.

‘The Kashmir Files’, directed by Vivek Agnihotri, revolves around the exodus and killing of Kashmiri Pandits from the Kashmir Valley in 1990. It has been mired in controversy since its release in March, with many calling it a poignant depiction of a tragic period and critics alleging it is loose with facts.

Israeli ambassador, Gilon said Nadav Lapid had abused the Indian invitation to the judges’ panel in the “worst way”.

“In Indian culture, they say that a guest is like God. You have abused in the worst way the Indian invitation to chair the panel of judges at @IFFIGoa as well as the trust, respect, and warm hospitality they have bestowed on you,” he added.

Nadav Lapid had said the jurors at the film festival were “disturbed and shocked” by ‘The Kashmir Files’. Two days later, he offered a “total apology” if his remarks had been misinterpreted and said his aim was not to insult the Kashmiri Pandit community or those who had suffered.

Post a comment “But at the same time, whatever I said, and I said clearly that for me and my fellow jury members, it was, and it is a vulgar propaganda movie that didn’t have a place and was inappropriate for such a prestigious competitive section. I can repeat it again and again,” he told news channel CNN-News18.

The post “Hitler Was Great”: Israeli envoy flags hate after ‘The Kashmir Files’ fallout appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Srinagar: The recent cinematic critique of a film by the jury head of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa has reignited concerns amongst protesting government employees from the Kashmiri Pandit (KP) community in Jammu city.

The protest by the community entered the 204th day on Thursday and was cited by many on social media, bringing focus back on the employees who are demanding relocation outside Kashmir valley.

The protest began earlier in May this year after a revenue official Rahul Bhat was killed by suspected militants inside his office, triggering a fresh wave of fear and uncertainty among the minority community. The KP employees recruited since 2010 and posted in the valley are on the strike and have not been attending offices since then.

Film-maker and Right-wing activist Ashoke Pandit backed the protesters on Wednesday, advocating the demand for relocation of KP employees, He also lashed out at the Israeli jury head Nadav Lapid, an acclaimed film director, for terming the film, The Kashmir Files, as “propaganda”.

“We cannot put our community to be targeted by the militants. We do not want more bodies and no more killings. We are hopeful that the authorities will take measures to address our problem and relocate them,” Pandit told reporters.

Incidentally, Lapid told PTI on Thursday that his remarks as jury head had been “misinterpreted”.

“I have enormous respect for the tragedy, victims, survivors and for whoever suffers there. It (my remarks) was not at all about this. I’ll repeat these words 10,000 times if I have to say that I was not talking about the political issue, historical equation, or disrespecting the tragedy that happened in Kashmir,” he said, adding that: “I was talking about the movie and that such serious topics deserve, in my opinion, a serious film… .”

Following its release, the film was called out by regional political parties, including the National Conference, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and several others for its provocative “communal slant”.

“Finally, someone called out a movie that was nothing but sheer propaganda promoted by the ruling party to demonise Muslims esp Kashmiris and widen the gulf between Pandits and Muslims. Sad that diplomatic channels are now being used to silence the truth,” PDP president Mehbooba Mufti tweeted after the fresh row.

The Kashmiri Pandit Migrant Employees had carried out a barefoot march in Jammu last week after 200 days of protest against targeted killings. Over 118 civilians, including five Kashmiri Pandits have been killed in Jammu and Kashmir after Article 370 and 35 A was revoked, according to official data.

This year, over 20 persons were killed and injured in targeted killings, including at least two KPs, following which the employees, who have been provided with jobs under the Prime Minister relief and rehabilitation scheme, went on protest.

“We have been protesting for 204 days. There is fear so we came to Jammu. Our only demand is that we should be relocated outside Kashmir. The solution to our problem is not within Kashmir but outside. I believe anything else will not work,” a protester said. 

The PM package employee union during the protest raised slogans and criticised the administrtaion for ignoring their demands. A protester told NewsClick that the employees cannot keep “looking over their shoulders” all the time and work in this fear.

The administration drew flak for what many termed as “mishandling” of the problems faced by the Kashmiri Hindu minority in the region. Some of the members from the community termed online support for The Kashmir Files as “hollow” in the midst of lack of support to the protesting employees.

“A jury member’s take on the Kashmir Files has shocked 1000s who are now demanding his apology for hurting the sentiments of KPs. Where have you been for the last 6 months when 100s of KPs have been protesting in Jammu, begging Govt. to listen to them? Their salaries stopped,” author Siddhartha Gigoo tweeted.

Meanwhile, in Jammu, where the protests are happening, former minister Choudhary Lal Singh,  Chairman Dogra Swabhiman Sangathan Party, condemned the authorities for the “lack of accountability” in the administration. 

“The party which promised political empowerment to Jammu has literally left it in total chaos, lawlessness, corruption and a sense of scare all around. Not only that the people have been deprived of popular rule. The Constitution of India which assumes a democratically elected government. to run the affairs of its varied administrative units is being brazenly defied,” Singh said in a party statement.

Courtesy: Newsclick

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The well-known Israeli filmmaker whose comments as the head of the jury of the recently concluded International Film Festival of India at Goa on The Kashmir Files has created an enormous controversy tells television journalist Karan Thapar, “I am not taking back anything, I stand totally behind every word I said at the award ceremony”. Mr. Lapid went further and said: “In a way it was my duty, my obligation. I was invited to be frank not to speak vanities.”

Tragically however, Mr. Lapid has revealed that he has received hundreds, may be thousands, of threatening messages. Speaking specifically about the Israeli Ambassador who, in a public letter to Mr. Lapid which he tweeted, said Mr. Lapid should be ashamed of himself and claimed he had denigrated Indian hospitality and damaged India-Israeli relations, Mr. Lapid said: “I feel ashamed of this reaction of an Israeli diplomat”.

In a 32-minute interview to Karan Thapar for The Wire, from his residence in Paris where he’s returned, Mr. Lapid repeatedly and flatly denied that he had in an interview to India Today, reported on the Hindustan Times website, called The Kashmir Files “brilliant”. He also clarified that in a separate interview to CNN-News18 he was only apologizing for hurting the feelings of people who died in the killings in Kashmir or to their relatives but he was by no means apologizing for criticizing the film.

Mr. Lapid said: “Criticising a movie is not criticising India or criticizing what happened in Kashmir”. Referring to Anupam Kher’s claim that the criticism of The Kashmir Files is like denial of the holocaust, Mr. Lapid said that Mr. Kher, as well as Vivek Agnihotri, the director, must remember that their film is “not equal” to the tragedy that happened in Kashmir. He added how that tragedy is portrayed in a film can be legitimately criticised without questioning the veracity of the events it portrays.

Speaking about what he calls the vulgarity and crude quality of The Kashmir Files, Mr. Lapid spoke about the way “the bad guys” are portrayed. He said “the terrorists are like cartoon creatures”. He said they lacked “the truth of free life”. He said the portrayal is “a flat product”. Giving a few details he said: “Look at the way the main terrorist is portrayed with a tick in his eye … it’s an extremely bad joke”.

Interestingly, Mr. Lapid also insisted in this interview to Thapar, that “all the jury members shared exactly the same impression about the film”. 

Confirming comments he has made to the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz and the Israeli website Ynet, Mr. Lapid said he felt a need to speak out and express what he believes is the truth possibly because many others in India may share this thinking but are unable to speak it publicly.

Mr. Lapid added that after the reaction in India he believes “my instinct was right … I had to tell the truth.” Mr. Lapid asked a question of those criticising him: “Do you want to live in a place where people are scared to open their mouth?”

These are just the most important aspects of Karan Thapar’s interview with Mr. Lapid. Thapar states in a press release that there’s a lot more in the interview. Mr. Lapid has spoken honestly, fully and often at great length to explain his views, his response to what others have said, his reaction  to the controversy and furore that has been created and how the film was pushed by the Indian government. He says, in reverse circumstances, he would welcome Indian filmmakers coming to Israel and criticising Israeli films on subjects that are sensitive to or important for the Israeli people.

Karan Thapar :” To understand Mr. Lapid you need to see this interview. As I said, the above precis has simply picked up some of the main points. There’s a lot more in the interview where Mr. Lapid should be allowed to speak for himself. This is why you must watch it. It’s also important to watch the interview to understand how some of the claims made about things Mr. Lapid is supposed to have said are either untrue or deliberate misinterpretations. At one or two points of the interview, Mr. Lapid talks about how people have “manipulated” what he said.”

Here is the link to the Karan Thapar Interview:

Related:

IFFI jury chair outraged over inclusion of “Kashmir Files”; calls it propaganda

The Kashmir Files: Calls for Muslim genocide ring out in cinema halls, hate brews outside

The Kashmir Files making resident Kashmiri Pandits feel unsafe

The Kashmir Files backed by PM, FM, CMs; continues to fuel divide

Hate floods in the wake of ‘The Kashmir Files’

Kashmiri Pandits refute communal claims made in The Kashmir Files

Govt to Blame, Where is Security for KP Families in Valley, Asks Sanjay Tickoo, KPSS

The post I feel ashamed of this reaction of an Israeli diplomat on Kashmir Files: Nadav Lapid, IFFI head of jury appeared first on SabrangIndia.

From the timeline of Shiv Kar

Did the Kashmiri Pandit’s exodus happen? Of course it did. It was one of the most heinous, most tragic incidents in our country, no less in seriousness than the partition, or even the holocaust – with which the likes of Anupam Kher seem to compare it over and over again. Of course it happened. No one is denying that. If even one person has to go through what happened during the exodus, it is a historical tragedy. What is the problem then? Why is a film like ‘The Kashmir Files’ being panned as vulgar and dishonorable, while a film like ‘Schindler’s List’ will go down in the halls of art as one that recorded history as it truly happened? The answer is simple – artistic intention. 

When Steven Spielberg made ‘Schindler’s List’, he didn’t make it so that people hate Germans. He made it to record history through art. But Vivek Agnihotri’s artistic intentions are questionable. His film, his words, his thoughts are vengeful. Hurt is an essential foundation of the arts. But the moment you become vengeful, the moment you use your art to spread hatred instead of awareness, you cease to be an artist. Then, even if your art is technically brilliant, it will have no artistic merit at all. Your intention of creating a work of art is more important than the art itself. Which is exactly why Griffith’s Birth of a Nation or Riefenstahl’s Triumph of the Will, despite being technically brilliant and academically important studies, will always go down the history of cinema as downright unethical films. Artistic intention. You cannot let hatred and revenge rule over your art.

Facebook: Bhaskar Chattopadhyay

The Kashmiri Pandit Sangharsh Samiti (KPSS), a Srinagar-based group representing those Kashmiri Pandits who, at great risk to their lives and livelihoods, never migrated from the Valley has called The Kashmir Files an attempt to sell the community’s pain for commercial and political “benefits”.

“Pain loses its meaning and becomes valueless when it is sold for commercial and political beliefs and benefits,” the Kashmir Pandit Sangarsh Samiti tweeted.

#Film makers pic.twitter.com/MvVtYxuSBa

— KPSS (@KPSSamiti) November 29, 2022

KPSS president Sanjay Tikoo told the media the tweet was about the film, which he said had caused nothing but harm to the Pandit community. “The film is nothing but commercialisation of our pain, politicisation of our pain,” Tickoo said.

The Kashmir Files,  endorsed by the BJP, portrays the 1990 attacks on Pandits in Kashmir in a manner that seeks to demonise Muslims. Nadav Lapid, celebrated Israeli filmmaker and chief jury at the International Film Festival of India, had on Monday said the film was “propaganda” and “vulgar”.

The Samiti chief, who had criticised The Kashmir Files in the past as well, said the film had dealt a blow to decades-long efforts to bridge the differences between the Muslim and Pandit communities in Kashmir.

“The incidents in the filmare 100 per cent true but the picturisation is wrong. (For instance), it shows some Pandits being killed by militants in a village with local Muslims cheering the killings. Such things never happened here,” he said.

Tickoo said the film depicted the pain of the Pandits but not that of the Muslims.

“The film is called The Kashmir Files, not ‘The Kashmir Pandit Files’. But it never touched the (sufferings of the) other side, of people killed in State action,” he said.

Tickoo also said the film, along with the scrapping of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, had ensured that local Muslims’ sympathy for Hindus in relation to the recent spate of targeted killings was reduced. “The kind of outrage you saw earlier is missing now. Earlier, you had at least 50 to 60 per cent, if not all, who said they wanted the (migrant) Pandits back,” he said.

“It (the film) has endangered our lives. It has also deeply affected the efforts that were happening for the past two decades to bridge the differences (between the two communities).”

While Tickoo criticised the film, he added that if Lapid, the Israeli filmmaker,  was questioning the Kashmiri Pandits’ suffering, he should question the Holocaust as well. Lapid had not commented on the plight of the Pandits but was speaking on the propaganda quotient of the film. In fact, Lapid said later that “I did not come to express one position or another on the conflict in Kashmir….”

Tickoo denied that Pandits had hit the streets in Jammu against Lapid, as some news channels had claimed.

He said the Pandits portrayed on TV as protesting Lapid’s comments were actually employees demonstrating against the government’s refusal to relocate them from Kashmir to Jammu following a spate of targeted killings in the Valley.

Tickoo acknowledged that some of the protest leaders had spoken out against the Israeli filmmaker (after the channels had sought their opinion on the subject).

Related:

IFFI jury chair outraged over inclusion of “Kashmir Files”; calls it propaganda

Singapore bans ‘The Kashmir Files’ 

The Kashmir Files making resident Kashmiri Pandits feel unsafe
 

The post Kashmir Files is an attempt to sell Pandit pain for commercial & political gain: KPSS appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Israeli filmmaker and jury chair Nadav Lapid’s comments about Kashmir Files being ‘propaganda’ has caused waves. The comments were made at the 53rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI 2022). The foreign filmmaker claimed that Vivek Agnihotri’s film had the vibe of a “propaganda, vulgar movie.” He continued by saying that he was “disturbed and startled” that the movie was included in the festival’s competitive category.

In a video from the event, which has now gone viral on social media, Nadav Lapid can be heard saying, “We were, all of us, disturbed and shocked by the 15th film: The Kashmir Files. That felt to us like propaganda, vulgar movie, inappropriate for an artistic competitive section of such a prestigious film festival. I feel totally comfortable to share openly these feelings here with you on stage. Since the spirit of having a festival is to accept also a critical discussion which is essential for art and for life.”

The video can be seen here: 

#Breaking: #IFFI Jury says they were “disturbed and shocked” to see #NationalFilmAward winning #KashmirFiles, “a propoganda, vulgar movie” in the competition section of a prestigious festival— organised by the Govt of India.
? Over to @vivekagnihotri sir…
@nadavlapi pic.twitter.com/ove4xO8Ftr

— Navdeep Yadav (@navdeepyadav321) November 28, 2022

The statement had led to an uproar amongst the cast and supporters of the movie, and even stirred an upheaval in the central government, whose Ministers had openly promoted the said movie, which portrays the exodus of Kashmiri Pundits in the 1990s and allegedly holds Muslims solely accountable for the persecution of Hindus in the hill state. Anupam Kher, Mithun Chakraborty, and Pallavi Joshi play the film’s three main characters under the direction of Vivek Agnihotri. The film has received accolades from the government in India, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah both praising the acting and the storyline. Additionally, most of the states governed by the BJP proclaimed the movie tax-free.

The Kashmir Files, which was screened at the festival last week, was released in theaters on March 11. The movie revolves around the killings and exodus of Kashmiri Pandits in 1990 from the valley. While the film was a hit in India, many critics have criticized it and called out for its alleged propagandist tone.

Following the controversy, Israel’s Consul General to Midwest Kobbi Shoshani expressed his contrasting views on the film. He took to Twitter and wrote, “I saw the Kashmir files and met the cast. I have a different opinion than Nadav Lapid. After his speech, I told Nadav my opinion.” He also mentioned that he had been systematically trolled by supporters  of the film since last night. 

BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya is one amongst the man who got offended by the remarks and responded via twitter that, “Israel’s Ambassador responds to compatriot filmmaker Nadav Lapid’s criticism of Kashmir Files. For the longest time, people even denied the Holocaust and called Schindler’s List a propaganda, just like some are doing to Kashmir Files.”

Referring to Nadav’s remarks, Anupam Kher, who received praise for his role in the movie, tweeted that “No matter how high the height of the lie is. It is always small in comparison to the truth.” He attached pictures from the movie with his tweet.

Meanwhile, Ashoke Pandit also slammed Nadav’s remarks. “I take strong objection to the language used by Mr Nadav Lapid for #kashmirFiles. Depicting the genocide of 3 lakh #KashmiriHindus cannot be called vulgar. I as a filmmaker & a #KashmiriPandit condemn this shameless act of abuse towards victims of terrorism.”

Incidents of hate instigated by Kashmir Files

Media reports of people exiting the theatre showed how people were moved by the performances, regardless of the distortion of facts used to tell the story. Some people said that Indian Hindus must watch the movie that has told a truth hidden by the liberal groups. 

However, the mood soon started getting heated inside the theatre halls where goons resorted to chanting slogans that often took an anti-Muslim hue.

Sanjay Tickoo of the Kashmiri Pandit Sangharsh Samiti (KPSS) had spoken out against the rank divisive propaganda in the film, while stressing the targeted violence faced by the Pandit Valley in Kashmir in the 1990s.

One Twitter used Rohit Bishnoi shared a video clip where people yelled “Desh ke gaddaro ko, goli maaro s***on ko” (Translation: Shoot the traitors) inside the hall, reiterating the words of hate-offenders who had originally given the call during Delhi elections, and more recently, BJP leader C.T. Ravi.

Genocide calls rung out in cinema halls, after the screening of The Kashmir Files. It was perhaps for the first time that open calls of hate against Muslims are being given in a public place. Video after video shows how some people rise after each show, in different cities, and claim that the movie has “revealed the truth to them.” Many have gone on to say that the movie is a “warning to Hindus to be careful” as if to indicate that Hindus are in danger. “Hindu khatre mein hain” was the slogan the Hindutva groups have been raising for years, even decades…

Video of one such incident can be seen here: (20) Kavita Krishnan on Twitter: “Calls for genocide of Muslims in theatres following the screening of #KashmirFiles. Will the film’s makers, actors, admirers including the PM appeal against such calls? You know the answer.” / Twitter

 “The Kashmir Files makes resident Kashmiri Pandits unsafe,” the Kashmiri Pandit Sangarsh Samiti (KPSS) had said at the time. The group had been closely observing the hate generated online and offline soon after the Bollywood movie was released. The Samiti is an organisation that has for decades worked to address the concerns of resident Kashmiri Pandits and Hindus who have stayed back in the Valley.

Previous Criticisms of Kashmir Files

Singapore banned ‘The Kashmir files’, reportedly over its ‘proactive and one-sided portrayal’ of Muslims in Kashmir. The city-state’s officials fear it could provoke religious and ethnic tensions.

Veteran actor Nana Patekar had stated in an interview that this “is not right”, he stressed a message of communal harmony, pointing out that Hindus and Muslims live peacefully and harmoniously in India. He argued that people of both religions live here and the making and showing of such movies spoils the environment.

Actor Adil Hussain too expressed his views about the movie on Twitter. In his post, he said, “Truth must be spoken! No doubt about it. But must be spoken Tenderly. Else purpose of speaking the truth loses its beauty. And the impact is reactive.Not responsive. We, for sure, don’t want to fuel a reactive society but nourish a responve-sible one. Art Should not be reactive.”

Actress Swara Bhaskar and Gauhar Khan had also tweeted against the propaganda promoted in this movie. All the critics, mentioned above and more, were heavily targeted by the Right Wingers and suffered trolls.

In addition to this, Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party Mehbooba Mufti had further condemned the manner in which the BJP had promoted this movie, especially Union Ministers. She had accused the ruling regime of weaponising Kashmiri Pandits’ pain and tearing apart old wounds. Another politician from the Opposition decrying the movie was Karnataka Rajya Sabha MP and Congress member Jairam Ramesh. He had described the movie as one inciting hate and propaganda.

Calls for genocide on social media

On March 20, 2022 Hindutva propagandist using the alias ‘Kattar Hindu’ on social media openly called for Islamic genocide. Citing a particularly gory scene in The Kashmir Files wherein a woman was made to eat grains soaked with her husband’s blood called upon “Hindus” to avenge the suffering of Kashmiri Pandits.

Using caustic language, he had instigated people to kill all “from young ones to old”. Making an ironic statement that he loves the country, he called upon people to wipe out the Indian Muslim community once and for all. He urged people to harass Muslims in any way possible stating that there is no need for a brotherly feeling among the two communities – once again, a singular statement considering the Indian Constitution’s endorsement of secularism.

Instead, he told his followed to abuse Muslims, sexually assault Muslim women of all ages, harass and torture them until they are forced to leave India.

“We won’t let them run from the country and we won’t let them live in the country. You all start harassing them,” he said in a video that has since been taken down from social media platforms. To top it all, he asked people not to engage in harassment publicly, openly accepting that the administration will arrest people because “the country is free and works on constitutional laws.” He further said, “The government will be forced to arrest you. Don’t do it openly. Think about whom you can target in a way that it doesn’t seem like you’re harassing them but they in fact do get harassed.” 

With this, Kattar Hindu not only owned up to the illegality of the actions demanded, but also that such actions go against the constitutional sentiments of India. And despite all this, he encouraged people to message him if they could not think of ways of harassment. In the video he also threatened to slaughter 6-month-old Muslim babies into two pieces and give one each to their parents.

Related:

The Kashmir Files: Calls for Muslim genocide ring out in cinema halls, hate brews outside

The Kashmir Files making resident Kashmiri Pandits feel unsafe

The Kashmir Files backed by PM, FM, CMs; continues to fuel divide

Hate floods in the wake of ‘The Kashmir Files’

Kashmiri Pandits refute communal claims made in The Kashmir Files

Govt to Blame, Where is Security for KP Families in Valley, Asks Sanjay Tickoo, KPSS

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