PANAJI
The caretaker Chief Minister Pramod Sawant watched Vivek Agnihotri’s directional film ‘The Kashmir Files’ based on the Kashmiri Pandits’ genocide in the 1990s in Kashmir, with wife Sulochana Sawant and BJP State president Sadanand Shet Tanavade on Monday afternoon. After watching the film and backing it, the BJP leader Sawant declared the film free from entertainment tax in Goa. Sawant also assured that it will continue to be screened in the State with maximum possible shows.
Talking to reporters after watching the film, Sawant condemned the incidents that took place in Kashmir in 1990, and blamed the then Congress government for “committing atrocities not only on Kashmiri Hindus, but on all people of Kashmir.” Sawant said each and every youth and all the countrymen should know this fact of history shown in the film. Released on March 11, the film has attracted a huge audience despite the limited screens that were offered to it, and has taken the box office by storm.
Earlier, on Sunday evening a statement from the CMO had announced that Sawant will be watching the film on Monday. Also Sawant’s Twitter post on Sunday evening had said, “The gripping tale of pain, struggle, suffering of Kashmiri Hindus needs to be understood by everyone so that we ensure such a history is not repeated.” In the tweet, Sawant also mentioned that he has spoken to INOX management and that the movie will continue to be screened with maximum possible shows.
A group of activists in Goa had alleged that a multiplex chain at Margao in South Goa district was trying to reduce the number of shows of the film, after several seats were found empty during the screening while tickets were sold online.
Written and directed by Vivek Agnihotri and produced by Zee Studios, the film depicts the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus from Kashmir following systematic killings of people from the Pandit community by Pakistan-backed terrorists. The film is based on real-life tragic incidents that happened in Kashmir in 1990 when the Kashmiri Pandits were forcefully asked to evacuate the Valley and live as refugees elsewhere in India. They were given three options - convert, or leave or die. According to the director, what happened in Kashmir was not exodus but genocide. Team ‘The Kashmir Files’ has won the praise of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a recent meeting.
The Haryana and Gujarat governments have declared the film as tax-free in their respective States. The Haryana government also directed cinemas and multiplexes not to charge state GST on the screening of the movie. Earlier, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday declared the film ‘The Kashmir Files’ tax-free in the state, stating that the film needs to be watched by maximum people. The Madhya Pradesh government has announced a day off for its police force to watch the film with their families.
The film had special screenings for kin of Kashmiri Pandits. In spite of being made on a low budget with minimal promotion and marketing, the film, amid several controversies, is experiencing phenomenal growth in theatres. The star-cast has Pallavi Joshi, Anupam Kher, Darshan Kumar, Mithun Chakraborti, Chinmay Mandlekar, Mrunal Kulkarni and others.
