Amidst hearing stories of Jews during World War 2, we turned a blind spot to the infamous incident that happened well within our boundaries. The story of genocide and exodus of the Kashmiri Pandits due to the Kashmir insurgency in the early 1990s has been recreated in the upcoming movie, The Kashmir Files. Not only this movie has a tone of character to it, but it also consists of well-defined characters and an exceptional cast that includes Mithun Chakraborty, Anupam Kher, Darshan Kumar, Pallavi Joshi, Chinmay Mandlekar, Prakash Belawadi, Puneet Issar, Bhasha Sumbli, Mrinal Kulkarni, Atul Srivastava, and Prithviraj Sarnaik. This highly anticipated film has been directed by none other than Vivek Agnihotri.
Vivek Agnihotri is an Indian film director, screenwriter, author, and activist. Since 2019, he has been a member of the board of India’s Central Board of Film Certification and a cultural representative of Indian Cinema at the Indian Council for Cultural Relations. Agnihotri’s career started with a prolific educational profile from advertisements and television serials.
After completing education from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, he ventured into the ad agencies of Ogilvy and McCann, which was followed by becoming the creative director of the campaigns for Gilette and Coca Cola. After the ad industry, Vivek debuted in Bollywood with his film “Chocolate” in 2005, which was a remake of The Usual Suspect, a 1995 Hollywood crime thriller. This was the beginning of giving a series of acclaimed films. The list
includes- Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal (An Asian football team in the United Kingdom that wins trophies against the on-field discrimination and the local municipality that wants to sell the team’s ground), Hate Story, Buddha in a Traffic Jam, Junooniyat, Zid, The Tashkent Files and Mohammad and Urvashi.
Along with Vivek’s success in filmography, in 2017, he was selected as the convenor in the preview committee of the 48th International Film Festival of India by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The same year, Agnihotri was selected as a member on the board of India’s Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). This was followed by an appointment as the cultural representative at Indian Council for Cultural Relations in 2020.
Interestingly, Agnihotri is also a prolific writer and has authored the book- wrote Urban Naxals: The Making of Buddha in a Traffic Jam. The book’s story is set on the backdrop of individuals hailing from institutions and media who are colluding with Naxalites with the prospect of overthrowing the government. Hence, describing them as invisible enemies of the nation. His book was applauded and praised.
Vivek Agnihotri has embarked on a journey to make a change through his incredible work. His commendable efforts led him to win the National Film Award for Best Screenplay in the dialogues category for The Tashkent Files. His directions have inspired a lot of young talent, and it continues. Nevertheless, do not miss his upcoming film- The Kashmir Files, which is set to be released on 11 March 2022.
Edited by- Subbuthai Padma
Published by- Radhika. N
