The Kashmir Files, a film based on the lives of Kashmiri Pandits, has impressed the box office by making the business of around Rs 4.25 crores on the very first day of its public screening. The film that was released on March 11 is currently being played on more than 1000 screens speculating massive rush on the weekend by March 13.
Director Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri shared the success on Twitter saying that the movie had made Rs 4.25 crores worldwide on the very first day of its release. “A new beginning. A new revolution. Started with a very small film with the biggest tragedy of the oldest civilization. Gratitude to every Indian”, he tweeted.
A new beginning. A new revolution. Started by a very small film with the biggest tragedy of the oldest civilisation. Gratitude to every Indian. #TheKashmirFiles#RightToJustice pic.twitter.com/gbyQ7UDjMZ
— Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) March 12, 2022
According to the reports, the film was released initially on 700 screens but the rising occupancy and the terrific response of the audiences to the trailer, to know the heart-wrenching story of the Kashmiri Pandits has got theatres to play the film on 1000 plus screens at present. The number can rise through the weekend.
The film is running close to 55-60% prime properties and is expected to pocket Rs 14 to 15 cr net by the weekend. It is important to note that the film is open only to its theatrical release all over India and will not be released on the OTT platforms. This is after one of the leading OTT platforms asked director Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri to not use the term ‘Islamic Terrorism’ in the dialogues.
In a detailed interview with OpIndia CEO Rahul Raushan, The Kashmir Files director Vivek Agnihotri talked in length about the process of making the film, the challenges his team faced and how he made sure that the film gets a theatrical release. He said that OTT platforms work inside a restricted framework of certain ideologies.
Further, the ideological isolation of the film was not only restricted to limiting its promotion but has also resulted in film critics like Anupama Chopra seemingly sabotaging the film, NDTV tweaking the SEO settings by calling it a ‘propaganda film’ and television talk shows refusing to promote the film. The film had also landed into legal troubles with certain people wanting to stall its release.
On the contrary, as the film was released on March 11, the netizens were seen encouraging the audiences to watch the film with a ‘Must Watch’ tag. One of the users said that the movie was not just a movie but an emotion. “Request everyone to please watch this movie to know the guy-wrenching truth of genocide of Kashmiri Hindus”, the tweet read.
‘The Kashmir Files’ is not just a movie but an emotion for us. Movie is in theatres now, request everyone to please watch this movie to know the guy-wrenching truth of genocide of Kashmiri Hindus 🙏 #TheKashmirFiles pic.twitter.com/yUbwEFaWQR
— Savi Bhat (@diyminiatures) March 11, 2022
Meanwhile another user stated that the Kashmir Files is the story of a Hindu genocide that was hidden from the world, of losing everything overnight, of seeing those you love massacred in front of your eyes. “It is a story every Hindu must watch and one we must never allow to repeat again”, she added in the tweet.
#TheKashmirFiles released today. The story of a Hindu genocide that was hidden from the world, of losing everything overnight, of seeing those you love massacred in front of your eyes. It is a story every Hindu must watch, & one we must never allow to repeat again.
— Kavita (@Sassy_Hindu) March 12, 2022
Several videos have also appeared on social media where people can be seen crying, chanting ‘Vande Mataram’ and explicitly urging people to go and watch the release. Some have even called the making of the film ‘historic’ and have saluted director Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri for showing the truth of Kashmir to the entire world.
The film is inspired from the true stories of Kashmiri Pandits and stars senior actors like Anupam Kher, Mithun Chakraborty and Pallavi Joshi. The other acclaimed names like Darshan Kumar, Bhasha Sumbali, Chinmay Mandlekar, Puneet Issar, Mrinal Kulkarni, Atul Srivastava, and Prithviraj Sarnaik have also played important roles in the movie.
The film takes viewers back to 1989, when due to rising Islamic Jihad, conflict erupted in Kashmir, forcing the great majority of Hindus to flee the valley. According to estimates, roughly 100,000 of the valley’s total 140,000 Kashmiri Pandit inhabitants migrated between February and March 1990. More of them fled in the years that followed until just about 3,000 families remained in the valley by 2011. The movie based on video interviews with first-generation Kashmiri Pandit victims of the Kashmir Genocide was originally slated to be released in theatres on January 26, 2022, but was postponed because of the increasing number of COVID-19 instances. It has now been released and is open to watch in theatres.
