Vivek Agnihotri: 'Was impossible to make a film on Kashmiri Hindu genocide, imagine Schindler's List during Nazi's rule'

Vivek Agnihotri ’s The Kashmir Files has created a storm on social media ever since filmmaker Nadav Lapid called it vulgar at the closing ceremony of the 53rd International Film Festival of India . The video has been trending on social media ever since and people are expressing their opinions on this statement. Amid all of this, an old interview of Agnihotri has gone viral where he spoke about making the film and also the hypothetical existence of a film called Schindler’s List during Nazi’s rule.

The filmmaker’s statement

Speaking to the New Yorker, Agnihotri said, “It was impossible to make a film about the Kashmiri Hindu genocide. The reason was terrorism; everybody was scared. But then we decided to do it. People came to my office and hit my manager. I was heckled. So now the government of India has given me security. And this is exactly why people do not make movies on the Kashmiri Hindu genocide, because it is assumed that, if Hindus are in the majority in India, then they’re powerful everywhere, but this is wrong.”

Comparisons with Schindler’s List

Talking about the Steven Spielberg classic, the filmmaker was quoted saying, “When Schindler’s List was made, the whole world appreciated it and people said, ‘Yes, you brought the truth out.’ But imagine making Schindler’s List when the Nazis were ruling. Imagine making it when Hitler was ruling. Now terrorism is ruling.”

When asked about comparing the two films, he said, “Oh, of course. I don’t think there is any human being who’s going to appreciate the terrorist activities. Our film is very clearly about what happens when terrorism seeps in and when humanity is absent. And, therefore, the impact of the movie as desired by me as a filmmaker is exactly what is happening. People are crying, they’re hugging each other, they’re saying, “We are sorry.” And the whole entire India is coming together. And that’s why there is so much euphoria.”

Talking of comparisons, one of the actors of The Kashmir Files, Anupam Kher , also shared some pictures from his own film and the Spielberg classic and tweeted- “No matter how high the height of the lie is.. It is always small in comparison to the truth.”

This seemed to be a cryptic reply to Nadav Lapid’s statement of calling the film ‘vulgar’.

What is The Kashmir Files about?

The Kashmir Files is a drama about the exodus and genocide of the Kashmiri Hindus. It’s the story of a man who continues to seek justice for 30 years for exodus before being brutally killed by a local militant. It’s the story of lies and deceit for one’s own gains. It depicts the brutality and barbaric violence unleashed in the state of Kashmir in 1990.

The theme of Schindler’s List

This Steven Spielberg classic is against the backdrop of World War II. A greedy businessman becomes an unlikely messiah of the Jews that are under the oppression of the German Nazi. He transforms into a hero and is able to save the lives of over 1100 Jews from deaths in the gas chambers. The classic speaks about the importance of empathy and hope. It also stunningly portrays the plight of the oppressed and the cold-blooded heartlessness of the rulers.

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