Critics called the movie mediocre
Israel’s envoy to India has apologized for Israeli director Nadav Lapid’s comments about an Indian film about Kashmir.
Lapid, Chairman of the Indian International Film Festival Committee, criticized the participation of the film “The Kashmir Files” in the festival, describing the film as “political propaganda”, and said that he was shocked by the participation of the film in the competition.
The film, which achieved great public success, sparked controversy when it was released.
The film’s events take place at the time of the mass exodus of Hindus from Indian-administered Kashmir in the 1990s. It tells a fictional story about a university student who discovers that his Hindu parents from Kashmir were killed by Islamic militants.
Thousands of Kashmiri Pandits (a Hindu sect in Kashmir) fled their homes during a rebellion against Indian rule of Kashmir that began in the 1980s.
None of those who left have returned to their homes.
After Lapid’s comments sparked outrage on social media, the festival’s management said it represented his personal opinion.
Naor Gilon, the Israeli ambassador to India, criticized Lapid in an open letter to him.
“As a human being, I feel shame and want to apologize to our hosts for the bad behavior with which their generosity and friendship rewarded us,” he said in his message.
Actor Anupam Kher, who plays the title role in the film, retweeted the Israeli ambassador’s statement with his statement.
Despite the great success achieved by the film at the box office, it received average reviews from critics after its release in March.
The screening of the film led to a split in public opinion, and sparked a fierce debate on social media, as some praised it for shedding light on an uncirculated chapter in the history of Kashmir, but critics described it as opportunism and provoking Islamophobia.
Lapid had praised the cinematic richness, diversity and depth that distinguished the films participating in the festival, but criticized the “Kashmir files”.
“We felt that the film was a kind of crude political propaganda, not suitable for showing in an art competition of such a prestigious festival,” he said, according to the Indian Express newspaper.
Lapid, whose film “Synonyms” won the Golden Bear award at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2019, added that he had no problem expressing his opinion because “the atmosphere we felt at the festival accepts a critical discussion that is necessary for art and life.”
Actor Khair Tuesday responded to the comment by saying, “I hope that God will grant him wisdom so that he does not use the tragedy of thousands for his own agenda.”
“Truth is the most dangerous thing. It can make people lie,” director Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri said in a tweet, apparently directed at Lapid.