The much-awaited movie Shikara, directed and produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, is out in the theatres today. While it was being expected that the movie would depict what happened to Kashmiri Pandits all those years ago, the deep-seated anti-Hindu bigotry among Kashmiri Muslims, the genocide of Kashmiri Pandits and the exodus and the resulting anger and the radicalisation that made Kashmir the land of jihad, but, it has somehow left many viewers disappointed.
Director Vidhu Vinod Chopra in a placid response to a Kashmiri Hindu woman, criticising him for watering down Islamic terror in the valley in his movie, said that the “truth has two sides”. Everyone has his own perspective and may have different opinions, said the filmmaker.
The Director was responding to a Kashmiri Hindu woman, Divya Razdan, who confronted the filmmaker after watching the movie, which promised to do justice to the emotions that have shaped the anger of Kashmiri Pandits.
Divya breaks down and takes on director Vidhu Vinod Chopra for sticking to the safe secular stance throughout the movie, contrary to what the trailer of the movie promised. She accused Chopra of watering down Islamic terror in the valley and instead, showing Kashmiri Pandits as the malefactors. In a video clip shared on Twitter, Divya is seen slamming director Vidhu Vinod Chopra on the selective representation of Kashmiri Pandits in his movie.
https://twitter.com/kashmiriRefuge/status/1225728440248094720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Castigating Chopra for making a mediocre and disappointing movie, Divya says that you have not shown Islamic radicalisation, nor have you shown the suicides. “I feel like crying after seeing such a mediocre movie which is devoid of facts”, said Divya.
“My entire community was killed because of Islamic radicalisation in the valley. But you chose not to show the Jihadist slogans raised, the rape and murders of Kashmiri Hindu’s in the hands of the radicalized Jihadists”, said Divya.
She angrily accuses Chopra of playing politics. “You be happy with your commercialisation, but as a Kashmiri Pandit, I disown your movie”, said the visibly upset viewer.
Responding to Divya, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, who was also present at the screening, dismissed her allegations saying that every truth has two sides. Almost mocking the woman, he said that he will now make sequel 2 for her. Giving a very weird justification for his claim about truth having multiple facades, he said, “every truth can be viewed from this side or that side, from the top or from the bottom. It is not that truth becomes true only when it is viewed from one side. Everyone has their own viewpoints, like when drinks water, or milk or tea, some gets more intoxicated from tea while others get more intoxicated from milk, but the tea remains milk.”
When OpIndia got in touch with Divya Razdan, she lambasted the filmmaker saying the movie was an eyewash and a disaster. She said that the director has misled the viewers by not even touching upon the topic of Islamic radicalisation in the valley, which was the main cause for the atrocities on Kashmiri Pandits. Instead, the filmmakers have portrayed the Kashmiri Hindus as communalists, thundered the irked viewer.
Divya further said that she is completely disappointed because the makers of the movie, including director Vidhu Vinod Chopra, writer Rahul Pandita, and even some journalists like Aditya Raj Kaul had given the viewers a completely different impression with the trailer of the movie. They told the whole world that the movie is on the genocide of Kashmiri Pandits and the exodus but in the movie, neither genocide was shown nor exodus, exclaimed Divya.
Talking about a particular scene in the movie where a Kashmiri Hindu is shot, Divya said that “it appeared that the bullet was shot on its own. Purposely the shooter was not shown in the frame”, said Divya claiming that the “entire movie is a big disaster for a Kashmiri Hindu cause, because, the movie does not show our cause and we Kashmiri Hindus unitedly disown the movie”, said Divya.
Divya divulged that the director has tried to internationalise the matter by showing that the hero, who is a Kashmiri Pandit is writing letters to the American President. Divya accuses the director of maligning the Kashmiri Pandits. She says that Vidhu Vinod Chopra, by giving this false twist to the movie, depicts that we (Kashmiri Pandits) did not trust the Indian Army and our government and sought help from America. Which she says is completely untrue. She accuses the makers of distorting and twisting facts and making a purely commercial movie which is not based on facts.
In another video, a viewer, just out of the theatre shares a similar opinion. He also said that the movie was mediocre. The viewer said that Chopra’s mother, whom the director dedicated the movie too, would be proud that her son has made a good commercial movie but won’t be happy since he has not made a righteous movie, based on facts. The viewer here also talks about the hero of the movie writing to the American President, which he also believes is a clear violation and distortion of facts.
Stating a historical fact that after Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad made a clarion call saying “Islam Khatra mein hain” that Hazratbul said “Kafiron Kashmir chodo”, the viewer said that the cause was not political nor International, but religion was the main cause, which Chopra fails to depict in the movie.
https://twitter.com/Feku06580507/status/1225725695482986496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Yet another viewer held the opinion that not even two per cent of what actually happened to the Kashmiri Hindus in the valley has been touched upon in the movie. The makers of the movie have empathized more with the Jihadist than the Kashmiri Pandits, claims the viewer.
https://twitter.com/Ringa2122/status/1225648342962585602?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
In three decades, the real story of Kashmiri Pandits has never been told. History became a legend, legend became myth and in three decades, the genocide of Kashmiri Pandits was turned into a voluntary exodus from the valley. The denial of Islamic bigotry and genocides of Hindus is not a recent phenomenon. It has been an ongoing project since the very inception of the Indian State.
Shikara was expected to be the first real effort by the entertainment industry to bust this organized campaign of genocide denial, but unfortunately, the viewers have come out with a completely adverse opinion about the movie.