Anupam Kher has called Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid as ‘vulgar and opportunist’ after the latter's comment on the actor's film 'The Kashmir Files'. Nadav had termed the Vivek Agnihotri's film as "propaganda and vulgar" during the closing ceremony of the 53rd International Film Festival of India in Goa.
Anupam Kher responded to the statement and said in a media interaction held on Tuesday, “I feel that in every country those who exercise freedom of speech, do have some set of people who think they will use a platform like this to address their private opinion."
He added, "Well, if you don't like the movie you are most welcome to say it. But if you are a jury member you should be responsible enough to not use a platform like this to put forward such remarks. I think it's a 'vulgar' remark by that person. And who himself is vulgar and is an opportunist who used this platform to put forth his 'propaganda' or whatever he believes in.”
'The Kashmir Files' tells a story about the exodus and killings of Kashmiri Pandits in the valley three decades ago. It also features Mithun Chakraborty, Pallavi Joshi and others.
Anupam Kher also said, "Truth doesn't get impacted by such things. One person or 10 people don't impact the whole country. Pain brings people together. I got messages from Israel and they said wonderful things."
In his speech at the closing ceremony of IFFI 2022, Nadav Lapid - the jury head - had said, “All of us were disturbed and shocked by the movie 'The Kashmir Files'. It felt to us like a propaganda and vulgar movie that was inappropriate for an artistic and competitive section of such a prestigious film festival."
Previously, Anupam Kher also shared a video on social media and said that some people do not like seeing truth as is, and see it only with their "favourite colour and smell". “They wish to see the truth of Kashmir with rose-tinted glasses, as they have done for the past 30 years. Now with the film, their lies are exposed. If you cannot see the truth for what it is, shut your eyes but do not make fun of it. We are the victims of that truth, it is a part of our lives," he said in the video.
Anupam Kher also said that “India and Israel are friends and have been the victims of terrorism. A common Israeli understands the pain, but each country has traitors.”
