It's post noon on a Wednesday, when we manage to connect with director Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri. By then, it has been five days since the release of his controversial film, The Kashmir Files, based on the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus from the Valley following violent processions by Kashmiri Muslims who wanted an Islamist state. On day eight, its box office collections cross Rs. 116 crore. But, Agnihotri who describes himself as a “free thinker” on Twitter, an account which he deactivated briefly last month after he claimed to have received threatening messages to stop the release of this film, is drawing mixed reactions.

The emotions are raw, like in the videos of Kashmiri Pandit viewers crying inside theatres, as they sink in the torment that Anupam Kher’s Pushkar Nath experiences in the film. In a rare moment for the leader of a country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi applauded The Kashmir Files, and chose to meet the director and his actor wife, Pallavi Joshi, who plays JNU Professor Radhika Menon in the film. “His endorsement has come as a surprise. When the highest office has put faith in your work, it makes you even more responsible,” Joshi later told this writer.

But certain quarters have called out the film for being “exploitative”, “displaying half-truths” and being “anti-Muslim”. Agnihotri is unruffled by the hate. “I see only one opinion. There is no other view. Everybody seeing the film is crying... it was the biggest tragedy. These are the only reactions I have seen. There is no Left or Right wing, there is only the ‘India wing’, the humanity wing... terrorism has no side. People who see other sides are either naive, vicious or political,” Agnihotri says emphatically over a telephonic call.

He is speaking to us from the New Delhi airport, where our interview is interrupted once too many by approaching travellers, who we overhear thanking him for making the film. Two days after this interview, this in-person expression of fandom would have been restrained with the director being granted Y category security by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

For most part, Bollywood has been silent, with only a handful showing their support if any. Agnihotri doesn’t consider himself part of this tribe, he clarifies. 

“When we [Pallavi and I] decided to quit Bollywood, and become independent filmmakers, we didn’t care about reactions [from people]. We want to make movies and tell stories that everyone else is scared to tell.”

Agnihotri says the film is important and had to be made. “What we know of Kashmir is through the media and the political lens. Everybody has spoken about the Kashmiri Pandits and their genocide, but nobody has spoken to them,” he says.

With very little material available to fall back on for research due to what Agnihotri claims is insufficient documentation, he decided he’d start by tracing the first-generation survivors. “Just like the Holocaust, where the testimonials of the victims were recorded, we decided to interview the survivors, who were directly impacted [by the events]—whose parents and children were killed, and houses burnt. We hunted them down all over the world—went to their homes, ate with them, spent time with them, and once they were comfortable, we recorded long-format video testimonials. We found the most common stories between them, and corroborated facts using available books, clippings, [conversations with] historians and documents, which are very few,” he adds. What, he says, he arrived at are facts “that can’t be disputed”. “Even the terrorists will admit this happened... we based the movie on that.”

The director feels that the first step to justice is to acknowledge what happened. “The thing about genocide is that you have to admit there has been a genocide. For 32 years, nobody has done that. Now that we have spoken to them [survivors], the process of healing has begun. People have told me that they didn’t speak about it [the event] out of fear, and now it’s out there. We are healing broken hearts.”

Even as several states, especially those ruled by the BJP, have made the film tax free, a political slugfest has erupted. Some have panned the BJP for looking at the Kashmir problem as a Hindu-Muslim one, rather than an issue of territory. But Agnihotri doesn’t hesitate to pin the blame. “Indira Gandhi was a Kashmiri Pandit. I can share a letter where it is clear what she thought. Everyone knows the truth. The slogan at the time was, ‘Ralive, tsaliv ya galive’, which means ‘either convert to Islam, run or die’. Is this a Hindi Muslim slogan, or one that addresses territory? Muslims are the majority. [But] Kashmir was originally a Hindu civilisation. The dispute was created by the British,” Agnihotri argues.

When this writer points out how there has been criticism over the film vilifying the entire Muslim community, he interjects, “It’s a wrong question. You are asking this, because your brain is wired in a certain way... Could you have written an article about the Nirbhaya [Delhi gang rape] case without vilifying the rapists? Terrorists must be vilified. In the case of Kashmir, the terrorists have been Muslim.”

Does that justify videos from inside Indian theatres roaring with “anti-Muslim” chants, surfacing on social media? “I haven’t seen them. But, I can’t expect people who have been affected, to control their emotions. They have the right to say it out loud. People don’t cry when they are politically motivated. They cry when they are emotional. After Schindler's List released, Jews came out on the streets. When you break open the lie, pent-up emotions will surface. And it’s important for society to heal.”

Agnihotri thinks to ask an audience to react to the film rationally, intelligently, is an elitist call. “It’s irrational. We make movies to evoke emotions, to portray the reality. People have the freedom to react how they want. I don’t support this snobbery.”

We remind him that some quarters have expressed concern over possible violence. “You are assuming that will happen. It’s the state that needs to maintain law and order. My job is to tell the truth, and if the truth is evoking a response, I am no one to control it. This question is not for me, but someone else.”

Agnihotri had claimed in a tweet that his film was not promoted on the Kapil Sharma show because it didn’t have big stars, its producers were allegedly told. Sharma has denied the allegation on social media. Anupam Kher later clarified that he was called, but turned down the offer because the mood of the film didn’t befit a sketch comedy. “Kapil must have invited Anupam two to three months ago, and that was when the third wave was on, and they had no other celebrities available. I know what happened,” Agnihotri tells mid-day. 

Online film and television database, IMDB said it had changed its rating method after noticing “unusual voting” on The Kashmir Files—the film now has an 8.3 rating. Agnihotri says, “I don’t understand algorithms. I have never decided to watch a movie after checking its IMDB rating. I read that people went and rated it 1,” adding, “They are vandalising it [the film]—some terrorists are with guns, some [dabble] with ratings.”

Ahead of the release of The Kashmir Files in January 2022, Pallavi Joshi and director-husband Vivek Agnihotri are touring the USA, hosting special screenings of the film. The actor, who recently won the National Award for Best Supporting Actor for her performance in The Tashkent Files, claims that the upcoming movie has received a positive response at the screenings.

“There are two distinct responses to the film — some are feeling guilty that [the exodus] happened 30 years ago and they didn’t do anything about it. Another section is feeling betrayed that the government and the media didn’t let this story come out,” says Joshi.

With The Kashmir Files that features Mithun Chakraborty and Anupam Kher, the director has traced the exodus of the Kashmiri Pandits in 1990. While there may be polarising accounts of the circumstances of their departure, Joshi says their film has been designed after exhaustive video interviews of the first-generation victims.

“In 2019, we visited the victims’ families across the US, UK, Germany, Singapore and New Zealand. They shared their stories and incidents. Those incidents were then corroborated. What you see on the screen is what has happened,” she asserts.

The film was shot in Kashmir, Dehradun and Mussoorie.

Kangana Ranaut, Manoj Bajpayee and Dhanush (Asuran) took home the big titles in the acting categories at the 67th National Film Awards, which were announced yesterday. Priyadarshan’s Malayalam film, Marakkar - The Lion Of Arabian Sea, won the Best Feature Film title, while Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan was named Best Director for Bahattar Hoorain. Late actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s film, Chhichhore, directed by Nitesh Tiwari, took home the Best Hindi Film award. Producer Sajid Nadiadwala says, “I dedicate this prestigious award to Sushant. We can’t get over his loss, but I pray that this award gives a little bit of happiness to his family and fans, including me. And I am tremendously grateful to Nitesh for giving us this special film.”

Bajpayee, who won for Bhonsle, tells mid-day, “I thank my director, Devashish Makhija, [and producers] Sandeep Kapoor and Piyush Singh. I am grateful to everyone who believed in this film and supported it. ”

Best Supporting Actress Pallavi Joshi (The Tashkent Files) says she “wasn’t expecting” to win. “I knew that because of the pandemic, award functions weren’t being held. I assumed that they would either cancel it, or club projects across two years. When I heard Vivek’s [Agnihotri, husband and director] name, I was elated. This is his first National Award. It was a well-researched and well-written film. It took a moment for me to register my win because I had forgotten that I had acted in it. I was reminded of my first National Award win in 1994. Today is no different. This award is a big deal because it carries opinions of the finest talents. The icing on the cake is that the President gives you the award.”

The film picked up the honour for Best Dialogue. Agnihotri, who has also penned it, adds, “I was told this film has no screenplay and was too verbose. It was sabotaged after being stuck for a long time. We contributed in raising important questions about the right to truth in a democracy. When it released in 150 screens, it ran for 125 days, because the audience came to watch it. My view has been vindicated. I feel empowered to write good stuff. I dedicate this to Lal Bahadur Shastri.”

In a joint statement, the team of Marathi film Anandi Gopal, which won Best Production Design and Best Film On Social Issues, said, “We are humbled, honoured, and ecstatic. This was a labour of love; our first film and first National Award. The win has been a dream come true for all of us. We can only attribute the win to the passionate work of each and every one in the team.”

Other winners include Vijay Sethupathi, who took home the Best Supporting Actor award for Super Deluxe.

Prashant Singh (HINDUSTAN TIMES; May 2, 2020)

It’s a known fact that due to lockdown, various classic TV shows such as Ramayan, Mahabharat and Shaktimaan etc, have got a new lease on life. And as the past hits do well all over again, reportedly, a few actors such as Arun Govil, Dipika Chikhlia (Ram and Sita of Ramayan), Mita Vashisht (featured in Circus) and Pallavi Joshi (starred in Buniyaad), have spoken about how they deserve to get royalty after the successful re-runs of their shows.

Makers, on their part, feel the subject [of royalty] can be discussed but the “timing is probably not right”. “What we are going through is a ‘difficult, adjustment time’ wherein there’s a question of survival. And the same [business] model has been there from the start. Re-runs of shows have been happening forever. It’s all a part of a broadcasters’ long-term investment plan. However, talks about royalty are a healthy sign. But maybe, the timing of monetary benefits talk isn’t right,” says TV producer Sumeet Mittal.

Chikhlia has reportedly said that “money doesn’t harm anybody”, and how Ramayan actors “were [originally] paid peanuts”. While Joshi apparently feels “it should have been introduced long back”, Vashisht says the “industry is not thoughtful in terms of royalties”. TV director-producer Rajan Shahi adds, “If an actor has pointed anything, it must be respected, and discussed with the industry as a whole. It can’t be decided upon in isolation since there are various stakeholders involved.”

Experts feel everything also boils down to the contracts. “Vis-à-vis royalties, it’s all about a contract’s finer details,” says trade analyst Taran Adarsh. Shahi concurs and says, “Yes it all depends on the contract. But don’t forget that makers also take a lot of risk because only two out of 10 shows do well. But there can be a democratic discussion on it.”

Brush up on those long-forgotten earworms as Antakshari hosts team up for a virtual revival of the much-loved '90s musical game show
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; April 24, 2020)

Ask any '90s kid and s/he will fondly tell you how Friday evenings were synonymous with Antakshari, the popular game show that aired on Zee TV. It's time to take a walk down memory lane as the much-loved show's hosts — Pallavi Joshi, Renuka Shahane, Durga Jasraj and Rajeshwari Sachdev — have joined forces to revive its magic in the virtual world.

As part of The Future of Life Festival on April 30, the four anchors will come together to discuss how creator Gajendra Singh brought a favourite Indian pastime to the small screen, and recount anecdotes about sharing the stage with longtime host Annu Kapoor. Of course, a chat about the game show is incomplete without a round of antakshari — the foursome will belt out their favourite numbers as they play the game online.

Joshi, who was associated with the series for four years, is thrilled about bringing back '90s nostalgia. "For Renuka, Durga, Rajeshwari and me, acting was the primary profession. Yet, it was music and our wacky sense of humour that brought us together and made us lifelong friends. I am eagerly looking forward to this session with my friends," she enthuses.


(From left) Joshi, Shahane, Sachdeva and Jasraj. Pic/Facebook

Rachana Dubey (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 24, 2018)

Back in the 1990s, appointment viewing on a Hindi TV channel meant tuning into Antakshari every Friday evening. Starting from 1993, the show had 15 seasons and it has been hosted by many popular actors, including Annu Kapoor, Pallavi Joshi, Durga Jasraj, Rajeshwari Sachdev, Renuka Shahane and Shefali Chhaya.

And now, BT has it that the show, which is producer Gajendra Singh’s brainchild, is gearing up for a comeback, but with a modern facelift. The idea is to involve every viewer across the country with the help of digital technology.

At this point, there is no clarity on which channel will air the show. However, it is expected to go on floors in the next two months. Buzz is that the show will have younger faces as hosts, who can connect better with the youth. There are talks that actor-comedian Sunil Grover and TV actress Hina Khan, among others, have been approached to anchor it, but there has been no confirmation of the same.

The original show had three teams — Deewane, Parwane and Mastane — and rounds like Prelude, Dhun and Remix, which tested the contestants’ knowledge of Hindi film music. For the new version of Antakshari, nostalgia will be the underlying theme, but the makers will throw in other rounds that will appeal to the current generation.

BT reached out to Gajendra Singh, but there was no response till we went to press.

MUMBAI MIRROR (January 3, 2017)

After his May 2016-release, the socio-political film, Buddha In A Traffic Jam, Vivek Agnihotri has just finished scripting his next, a political gangster thriller. The film will roll mid 2017. Vivek’s wife, actress-singer Pallavi Joshi will play one of the leads.

Pallavi who bagged the Special Jury Award at the 41st National Awards for her role in the 1993-drama Woh Chokri, had also acted in Buddha In A Traffic Jam, playing the wife of Anupam Kher’s character, Professor Jamshed Batki, on her husband’s insistence. She had also crooned a ghazal, “Chand Roz”, penned by the late Faiz Ahmad Faiz, which was used as the film’s background score.

MUMBAI MIRROR (June 17, 2016)

Vivek Agnihotri is planning a film on the judicial system on the lines of the 1957 American drama 12 Angry Men adapted from a teleplay by the same name. Written and co-produced by Reginald Rose and directed by Sidney Lumet, the film revolves around a trial and 12 jurors who deliberate the guilt or acquittal of a defendant on the basis of reasonable doubt. In 1986, Basu Chatterjee produced and directed a Hindi version, Ek Ruka Hua Faisla. In 1997, a TV remake with the same title was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

"After Junooniyat, my next film will be on the judiciary system. It is an adaptation of 12 Angry Men," revealed Vivek, adding that the film will raise the question: What's the point of judiciary system in 2016 when it's so slow? "The script is ready and I will start shooting this year and release it next year."

This will be the first production of Telling Tales, formed by Vivek, wife Pallavi Joshi and an associate. He believes that by the time his film releases, there'll be no Censor Board. "The government is planning to abolish censorship and they will only have certification," he pointed out.

12 Angry Men is the highest rated courtroom drama on Rotten Tomatoes's Top 100 Movies of All Times.

Pallavi Joshi talks about poor working conditions in the television industry, women’s safety concerns and her small screen comeback
Letty Mariam Abraham (MID-DAY; March 8, 2016)

You returned to TV after a decade. How does that feel?
It felt nice and some part of me had always missed it. When I came back, I realised what I had been missing. I didn’t do television because they have run-of-the-mill shows that continually churn out matter without second thoughts. But Meri Awaaz Hi Pehchaan Hai is different. After doing weekly shows, I found a story which had a beginning and an end. It has 130-odd episodes. Otherwise, soaps just go on and on depending on what the audience likes, what the channel demands and how TRPs go. I have produced two shows, so I know.

You are paired opposite a younger actor, Bhanu Uday. And you will be playing a mom to Amrita Rao and Aditi Vasudev. How do you make up for the age difference?
When I signed this serial, there was another actor opposite me who was my age. But I was shocked to learn that Bhanu would be playing my husband because I would look like his mother on screen. They made me walk on a tight rope for this one. On one hand I have to look 30-something and on the other, I have to look like Deepti Naval and Zarina Wahab’s mother. In the late 70s, I had played a young Zarinaji in Khoon Ki Takkar, so I was skeptical. When I heard that I had to play her mother, I want to leave the serial right away. Whenever little Ketki does something wrong, I slap her on the face lightly. But I have to repeat the same thing with Zarinaji. I am a bundles of nerves thinking about it.

Bhanu said you thoroughly supported him even when he gave a bad performance...
Bhanu is hardworking and passionate as an actor. I think his time at the National School of Drama worked wonders for him. Not all NSD passouts are talented. But he can switch between real life and stage with ease.

As an executive member of Cine and Television Artists’ Association (CINTAA), is there anything that you dislike about the way the industry functions?
Working conditions in the industry are poor. We have the law of land here where all these foreign companies (read: channels) come where they find cheap labour and there are no work restrictions. Sometimes, you end up putting in a few extra hours, which is normal provided it happens once in a blue moon. Otherwise, there is no family life for anyone, especially if you shoot in places like Naigaon and Mira Road, and it gets late for the actors by the time they reach home.

What do you think about women’s safety in the TV industry?
There is an issue regarding their safety but since there is no law, the producer is not obligated to give them conveyance. We are raising issues with the federation and I hope we come up with safety measures in near future. We got a complaint from a female artiste who found a hidden mobile phone recording her changing clothes inside a vanity van. I am still in a position where I have my own staff to make sure that my van is locked, but not everybody is privileged. I believe CINTAA is thinking of taking strong action against offenders. But the problem is that there are annual elections and members keep changing.

How is the payment made uniform in the industry?
CINTAA has passed a law, making it binding on producers to give daily conveyance allowance to actors being paid less than Rs 5000 a day. There are different grades of actors and their rates change as per their job. Sometimes, junior actors make more than character actors. Also, there are actors who have taken a junior artiste association card despite not being extras. It is a sad state of affairs.

What about producers who default on payment?
People not paying up, sometimes for over a year, is fashion. We often get such cases.

Former FTII chairman Adoor Gopalakrishnan questions I& B minister’s veiled ‘warning’ about passing on the institute’s administration to the film industry
Gaurav Dubey (MID-DAY; July 7, 2015)

The ongoing students’ protest at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) has gathered steam with National Award-winning actress Pallavi Joshi quitting as member of the FTII Society. The agitation, which entered its 25th day on Monday, was launched to seek the removal of TV actor and BJP member Gajendra Chauhan (Yudhistir of the ’90s Mahabharata) as the institute chairman. While filmmaker Jahnu Barua and cinematographer Santosh Sivan had earlier rejected a position on the FTII board, Joshi’s resignation in support of the students has been a setback for the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) ministry which has been unsuccessfully trying to resolve the impasse.

Meanwhile, a row has erupted over I&B minister Arun Jaitley’s alleged warning to students on transferring administration of the famed institution to private hands.

The ministry, however, has strongly denied that such a reference was made at the talks. Expressing disapproval of the idea of privatisation, former FTII chairman Adoor Gopalkrishnan says, “The students’ stand is justified. They feel that the institution will be in great danger because those who have been inducted into the general body do not have adequate credentials to hold such positions. Other than a few students in the community, others don’t have any sense of eminence. Besides, Chauhan and others make it sound like FTII is just another school. It is a place where mature people across the lengths and breadths of the country come to become filmmakers.” On Jaitley’s veiled threat at privatisation of the institute, the renowned filmmaker asks, “Why don’t they privatise the government, or the high court for that matter?” Joshi, who has written to the ministry saying she does not want to be a part of the FTII governing council, also scoffed at the idea of transferring the reins of the institute to the film industry. “It is the government’s responsibility to make sure that the film industry finds talent, just like it does with engineers and management graduates through IITs and IIMs,” she says.



With the industry having three government- run film institutes — National School of Drama, Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute and the FTII — privatisation would prevent many students belonging to economically weaker sections from realising their dreams, she argues. “The film industry is not a puny little organisation that you can ignore it. Look at the revenue it generates. Look at a private institute like Whistling Woods, their fee structure… do you think young students living in smaller towns or those who come from poor households can afford that? I am surprised that the film industry is not supporting this. I hope they do. This is going to affect the whole industry,” she adds.

Talking about her resignation, Joshi states she didn’t want to be part of an institute where the students were unhappy. “Whatever I have to share with them, if they think it will enrich them in matters of experience, my doors are open for them to communicate with me. But I don’t want to be part of a controversial council, as once you sit in that position your loyalties are going to be challenged. I am totally aligned with the students and I think they are old enough to protest against what they think is not right. I was hoping their meeting with the I&B minister will help and there would be some kind of a compromise, but that didn’t happen,” she says, letting out a sigh.

Vikas Urs, who was part of the students’ delegate that met Jaitley asserts that while the government has made promises for the future of the institute and is possibly working towards fulfilling them, the primary demand of the students — Chauhan’s ouster — is yet to be addressed. “It is essential for us to make the ministry realise that it’s their responsibility to patronise art education in India. And FTII represents the best filmmaking talent in the world. We are only asking them to consider our demand because we all know that Chauhan’s appointment was unwanted. We will continue the strike till the government comes up with some solution,” he says.

Support is slowly but surely pouring in for the agitating students. Filmmaker Govind Nihalani, who firmly believes that the government must consider the students’ demand, says: “FTII is one of India’s most prestigious academic institutes and therefore, rather than making it a prestige issue, the government should consider the stats and success of the institute. There should not be any political interference. The students are the future of the industry, so their views have to be taken into serious consideration. They are passionate and committed about their work and are fighting to maintain the artistic integrity of the institute. I support the students’ struggle and their point of view.”

The FTII alumni is also throwing its force behind the protesting bunch. Says ex-student Divyendu Sharma, “The panel that went to meet the minister has submitted a proposal which suggests ways and means to resolve the current impasse as well as procedural corrections for future appointments for the FTII Society. I hope the authorities concerned give serious thought to it. FTII is an institute of international repute and should be handled with the respect it rightfully deserves.”