Vivek Agnihotri’s next will roll in six months and have first-hand accounts of victims
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 3, 2019)

After The Tashkent Files, Vivek Agnihotri’s next is titled, The Kashmir Files and revolves around Kashmiri Pandits. “I’ve been wanting to make a film on the Kashmir issue for a long time and after my recent success, I have the confidence to tackle the sensitive subject. Little kids were shot, women raped and people told to leave their houses at night, the film will be an honest investigation into one of the biggest human tragedies,” asserts the director who will begin shooting in the next six months with an ensemble cast.

Vivek plans to visit all the places where Kashmiri Pandit refugees have settled, from Jammu, Delhi and Mumbai to abroad and record the first-hand accounts of the victims. “I’ve been working closely with activists in Kashmir and spoken to top politicians. Initially I was planning a book, now it’s a film,” he says, sighing over the fact that films on Kashmir have mostly portrayed the army in a poor light and justified terrorism. “That’s the wrong narrative based on propaganda, I’m going to break this myth.”

Meanwhile The Tashkent Files released last month is still running in theatres and Vivek admits he is not surprised. “We released in only 250 screens and survived Kalank, Avengers: Endgame, De De Pyaar De, Student Of The Year 2 and more. IIM Ahmedabad has included the film in its curriculum as a case study now,” he signs off on a jubilant note.