The Kashmir Files Director, Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri on Thursday refused to be a part of the 68th Filmfare Awards 2023 which are slated to take place on April 28. Surprisingly, the movie ‘The Kashmir Files’ whose stars were not invited at the 67th event of the Filmfare Awards, has bagged six nominations this year, in categories including best film, best director for Vivek Agnihotri, best actor for Anupam Kher, best actor in a supporting role for Mithun Chakraborty among others.
However, director Vivek Rajan Agnihotri opined on Thursday that the Filmfare Award events are part of a humiliating system and refused to be part of the said event. “I learnt from the media that The Kashmir Files is nominated in 7 categories for the 68th Filmfare Awards. But I politely refuse to be part of these unethical and anti-cinema awards,” he said.
ANNOUNCEMENT:
— Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) April 27, 2023
FILMFARE AWARDS
I learnt from media that #TheKashmirFiles is nominated in 7 categories for the 68th Filmfare Awards. But I politely refuse to be part of these unethical and anti-cinema awards. Here is why:
According to Filmfare, other than the stars, nobody has… pic.twitter.com/2qKCiZ8Llh
While stating the reasons, Agnihotri said that such events and such systems portray that nobody other than the stars have a face and that nobody other than the stars matters. He also said that the event was unethical and a part of a humiliating system that must end.
“It’s not that a filmmaker’s dignity comes from Filmfare Awards but this humiliating system must end. Therefore, as my protest and dissent against a corrupt, unethical and sycophant establishment of Bollywood, I have decided to not accept such awards,” he said in his statement on Twitter.
He meanwhile also said that Bollywood followed an oppressive system and such awards “treat writers, directors and other HODs and crew members of a film inferior to and/or as slaves to stars.” He stated that he was not alone and that a parallel Hindi film industry is emerging.
It is important to note that the 67th event of the Filmfare Awards that was organized at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai had failed to invite persons from the team of the movie ‘The Kashmir Files’. However, this year, the movie which is based on the true events of the genocide of the Kashmiri Pandits from the former state of Jammu and Kashmir has been nominated in six categories.
The movie has received nominations for best film, best director, best actor (Anupam Kher), best actor in a supporting role for Mithun Chakraborty, best actor in a supporting role for Darshan Kumar and best screenplay.
Here are the nominations for Best Actor In A Supporting Role (Male) for the 68th #HyundaiFilmfareAwards2023 with #MahahrashtraTourism. pic.twitter.com/Qi6ioEoQ64
— Filmfare (@filmfare) April 25, 2023
Here are the nominations for Best Actor In A Leading Role (Male) for the 68th #HyundaiFilmfareAwards2023 with #MahahrashtraTourism. pic.twitter.com/P63ZtvKZzv
— Filmfare (@filmfare) April 24, 2023
The film ‘The Kashmir Files’ takes the viewers back to 1989, when due to rising Islamic Jihad, a huge 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 which was released on March 11, last year proved to be the biggest hit of the decade. Though the film was praised all over the world, a section of Indian opposition parties and leftists tried to run down the film or discredit the story shown within. While some directly called the film a pack of lies, others tried to target the BJP over the issue. Multiple theories were also peddled to discredit the film and its makers, but the public verdict muted all the criticism.
