New Delhi: After sparking a political row with his comments criticizing ‘The Kashmir Files’ as a “propaganda” film, Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid has said he stands by everything he said because “in countries that are increasingly losing the ability to speak the truth, someone needs to speak up”.

At the closing ceremony of the 53rd edition of IFFI (International Film Festival of India) this week, Lapid had said that he and his fellow jurors were “disturbed and shocked” by the inclusion of ‘The Kashmir Files’ in the artistic competition segment of the film festival since it was “a propaganda, vulgar movie”. Indian juror Sudipto Sen, however, distanced himself from Lapid’s comments calling them his “personal opinion”.

Lapid was also slammed for his remarks by Israeli ambassador to India Naor Gilon, Consul General Kobbi Shoshani and former Israel ambassador to India Daniel Carmon.

An unfazed Lapid clarified that his comments did not “express one position or another on the conflict in Kashmir”. He said he spoke because he felt it his “duty” to speak his mind as the president of the international competition section jury since he “knows how to recognize propaganda disguised as a movie”, and because while it was not a crime to make bad films, what Vivek Agnihotri had directed was “crude, manipulative and violent”.

“Making bad films is not a crime, but this is a very crude, manipulative and violent propaganda film,” Lapid said in an interview with Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz. “The truth is that I also couldn’t help but imagine a similar situation that might happen one day soon in Israel, and I would be happy that in such a situation the head of a foreign jury would be willing to say things as he sees them. In a way, I felt it was my duty to the place that invited me,” he said.

The director of ‘The Kashmir Files’ Vivek Agnihotri, however, had defended his film. In a statement, he also threw an open challenge to all “intellectuals, urban naxals and even the Israeli filmmaker who made these remarks to prove if any scene, dialogue or event shown in the film is false”, promising to quit filmmaking if they find any falsehood in the film.

Lapid said he was not surprised by the outrage over his comments. “Since this is a film that the Indian government encourages, I assume that the government there is not happy about it. But is a country only about its government? I assume not. What I said is not comfortable for the Government of India, nor for the government in the making in Israel, which the ambassador there represents,” he said.

The award-winning filmmaker also alleged that the jury had learnt that ‘The Kashmir Files’ was “pushed into the official competition” of the festival “due to political pressure”. “You have an obligation to say the things that the people who live there may have a harder time saying,” the Paris-based filmmaker said.

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Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid, who earned the ire of many social media users after he called The Kashmir Files a “propaganda and vulgar film”, has opened up about his controversial comments during the closing ceremony of the 53rd International Film Festival (IFFI), held in Goa.

Speaking to Y-Net, Lapid said he was aware that “the event was connected to the country and people praise the government”.

“It is not an easy position, because you are a guest and are treated very nicely. Then you come and attack the festival. There was apprehension and discomfort; I didn’t know what the dimensions would be. Let’s put it this way: I’m happy to be on my way to the airport now,” said the filmmaker.

Addressing the trolling he faced on the net Lapid shared, “In countries that are increasingly losing the ability to speak the truth, someone needs to speak up. When I saw this movie, I couldn’t help but imagine its Israeli equivalent, which doesn’t exist but could.”

Amid the IFFI row, filmmaker Vivek Agnithotri, who directed the film in question, announced what seems to be the sequel to the film, titled - The Kashmir Files Unreported. Speaking to Aaj Tak, Agnithotri said, “I am determined now and I am making an announcement. We have many stories, anecdotes and truths. But now, I have decided that I will bring out the whole truth.”