Vivek Agnihotri receives letter of praise from the state of Ohio

Vivek Agnihotri and The  Kashmir Files keep marching  from strength  to strength. The latest honour bestowed   on the film and its maker is a citation from the state of Ohio.

“Indeed, you have sought to craft a film of universal appeal that speaks   to a matter of great historical importance, the forced exodus of the Kashmiri Pandits and you can be justifiably proud of your achievements,” states the citation signed by the President of the Ohio senate.

Vivek Agnihotri is happy beyond words.   “It is a matter of great pride for our film to be so honoured. Honestly, I won’t allow myself to take any credit.  I keep going to milestones. And I keep moving on.  I am the medium. I am just the tool to make this happen. You ask the Kashmiri Pandits, they will tell you Vivek Agnihotri is the medium. I am a spiritual person. I am very different from your average filmmaker. For me cinema is a tool a medium for social reform. My next film is also about change. I am confident that  too  will have a big impact.

The Kashmir Files is not a film. It’s a movement.  Vivek is   filled with gratitude at the stupendous success that’s come his way. “Audiences the world over are watching the film in pin drop silence. People are reaching out to Kashmiri Pandits all over the world. Why is it working so well in Canada? It started with two shows. Now it’s more than ninety shows. The film has connected Indians in conversations and debates everywhere. Ramu (Ram Gopal Varma) has made a video on   the success of The Kashmir Files where he says explains why he hates my film. It’s a brilliant review. We were working on The Kashmir Files for four years. We used our own money. We mortgaged our home. We went to many parts of the world for research. And after all the expenses we didn’t even know what   was going to come out of it.”

Vivek had great difficulty in getting a producer on board.  He adds, “But finally, we had Abhishek Agarwal who came on board unconditionally.   Then after the film was half-complete Zee also came on board. Bollywood producers wanted me to make typical potboilers which we were unwilling to do. We decided we will make our own research-based films with self-generated funds. This was our decision in 2010. We then made Buddha In The Traffic Jam, The Tashkent Files and now The Kashmir Files.”

(With added inputs from PTI)

Subhash K Jha is a Patna-based film critic who has been writing about Bollywood for long enough to know the industry inside out. He tweets at @SubhashK_Jha.

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