Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Tuesday shared his take on the controversy over comments by Nadav Lapid, jury head at the 53rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI), on the 'The Kashmir Files'. While the comments have largely been criticised, Raut affirmed the jury head's remarks and claimed there was 'propaganda' surrounding the Vivek Agnihotri movie.
"It's true about Kashmir Files. There was propaganda by one party against another," Raut was quoted by news agency ANI and alleged 'maximum number of killings in Kashmir occurred after this film'. He also demanded to know why a 'Kashmir Files 2.0' was not made.
"A party and goverment was busy with publicity... but maximum number of killings in Kashmir occurred after this film. Kashmir Pandits, security personnel were killed," Raut said referring to the spate of murders in the Valley - largely targeting civilians and migrant workers - that began last year.
At the closing ceremony of the IFFI on Monday in Goa, Lapid – an Israeli filmmaker who had served as the jury head of the film gala – said 'The Kashmir Files' is 'vulgar' and termed it a 'propaganda movie'. In his speech, Lapid had said he was 'disturbed and shocked' to see the film being screened at the festival.
{{/usCountry}}At the closing ceremony of the IFFI on Monday in Goa, Lapid – an Israeli filmmaker who had served as the jury head of the film gala – said 'The Kashmir Files' is 'vulgar' and termed it a 'propaganda movie'. In his speech, Lapid had said he was 'disturbed and shocked' to see the film being screened at the festival.
{{/usCountry}}Raut, in his comments, added: "Where were these Kashmir Files people then? The children of Kashmiri Pandits were also agitating, where were they then? Nobody came forward then, nor were there plans for a Kashmir Files 2.0 - make that too."
Meanwhile, Raut's colleague Priyanka Chaturvedi in a tweet said it was 'unfortunate' that Israeli ambassador Naor Gilon and his team were being flooded with messages against the remarks made by the filmmaker. “It is obvious for anyone to understand that Nadav Lapid at no point denied the Kashmiri Pandit exodus or dismissed it,” the Rajya Sabha member said, adding the comments were about the 'way the film treated the subject' and 'made it a propaganda film'. "[H]e spoke of the discomfort of the other jury members too,” she added.