‘Shikara’ To ‘The Kashmir Files’ To ‘Haider’ – Films On The People Of Kashmir

‘The Kashmir Files’ has gotten a lot of attention in the past few days. The film, directed by filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri, was released on March 11 and went on to garner positive reviews from critics and fans all over. In its first weekend, the movie went on to exceed expectations at the ticket windows. In a time when theatres are still not getting fully occupied, the film went on to surpass the lifetime earnings of several Bollywood blockbusters that were released during the last couple of years of the pandemic.

‘The Kashmir Files’ is set against the backdrop of the migration of Kashmiri Pandits from Kashmir. However, it is not the first film about Kashmir and its inhabitants. Here are a few more films that have showcased the people of Kashmir in the recent times:

‘Shikara’ (2019)

‘Shikara’, a film by filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra, was likewise inspired by the fight of Kashmiri Pandits. Chopra, on the other hand, has told the narrative against the backdrop of a love story, quite unlike what the representation has been in ‘The Kashmir Files’. ‘Shikara’ was a wonderfully filmed even though the movie failed to make an impact at the box-office.

‘Fitoor’ (2016)

This film directed by Abhishek Kapoor revolves around a poor but gifted Kashmiri teenager who gets recruited as a stable-keeper and falls in love with his boss' daughter. When the boss notices she expects that the lad achieve success in order to gain her daughter's love. The youngster grows up to become one of India's most prominent young artists, but his former employer remains a barrier between him and her daughter’s love story.

‘Haider’ (2014)

‘Haider’, starring actor Shahid Kapoor, was a Indianised representation of writer William Shakespeare's ‘Hamlet’. Filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj decided to set the film in the midst of the insurgency-plagued Kashmir conflicts of 1995, which had resulted in numerous civilian disappearances. The film, which also included Tabu, Shraddha Kapoor, Irrfan Khan and Kay Kay Menon in the starring roles, was a box-office success.

‘Yahaan’ (2005)

‘Yahaan’, directed by filmmaker Shoojit Sircar and starring actors Jimmy Sheirgill and Minissha Lamba, was a stunning picturesque story. It was a love story set in Kashmir, in which a Muslim girl falls in love with a member of the Indian Army. The film received positive reviews from reviewers but fared poorly at the box-office. It was one of the rare films of Sircar that didn’t receive great box-office returns.

‘Roja’ (1993)

‘Roja’ is a Tamil film, which was also dubbed in Hindi, about a woman who does everything she can to save her husband when he is kidnapped by terrorists in Kashmir. The film was a massive box-office success and received several accolades.