Anupam Kher-starrer The Kashmir Files (2022)bagged the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration. The actor says while the team anticipated a National Film Award, having done their “best work”, they never “expected to win in this category”. “The award has answered every person who doubted the intention of this film,” he tells us, thanking the jury headed by Ketan Mehta for the honour.

But, one wish remains unfulfilled for Kher — winning Best Actor. “I would’ve loved to win a National Award for acting, this is one of my finest performances,” he continues, “It’s not about undermining the person who won. Be it Allu Arjun (Best Actor) or Pankaj Tripathi (Best Supporting Actor), all of them are very talented and deserve the recognition... It’s not a complaint, just an observation.”

The actor goes on to make a revelation — that he was an executive producer of the film. “I wanted that because I am also a Kashmiri Pandit. But, we never talked about it,” says Kher, who would like to dedicate his award to all those “who lost their lives, left their homes and for whom the film was made”.