Looks like the story of the plight of Kashmiri Pandits during the exodus will not be told anytime soon, courtesy of the rising cases of the omicron variant of Covid-19. Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri’s much-awaited and publicized film, The Kashmir Files will not be released on January 26 as was scheduled due to the spike in Covid-19 cases all over the country. The makers posted the official announcement on their social media handle with a creative of India’s map that mentions, “Due to the significant spike in Covid cases in the country and the current scenario on theatres being partially or fully shut down in many states, we have decided to postpone the release of our movie ‘The Kashmir Files’. Let’s fight the pandemic together. Wear mask & stay safe!”
The making of the film was disrupted earlier as well when the first outbreak of the Covid19 pandemic caused the first schedule of the film to be called off. The movie production was halted further when cast member actor Yograj Singh had made some controversial statements during the farmers’ protest, leading to his removal from the film. Director Agnihotri replaced him with actor Puneet Issar.
The Kashmir Files is based on true incidents and chronicles the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the valley. Based on interviews of the first generation victims of the genocide, the movie will document the sufferings, struggles, pain and ordeals of Kashmiri Pandits and will talk of important socio-political aspects like democracy, politics, religion and humanity.
This is Zee Studios and Agnihotri’s second collaboration together after the critically acclaimed The Tashkent Files that went on to win the prestigious National Award. The movie was based on the death of former Indian Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri.
The Kashmir Files has an ensemble cast of actors including Anupam Kher, Mithun Chakroborty, Pallavi Joshi, Darshan Kumaar and Chinmay Mandlekar.
