New Delhi: A petition has been reportedly filed against the release of Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s upcoming release, Shikara in Jammu and Kashmir High Court by Iftikhar Misgar, Majid Hyderi and Irfan Hafiz Lone over showing false facts on Kashmiri Pandits and Kashmir. The film is based on the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus, especially Kashmiri Pandits from Kashmir in 1990.
At a special screening of the movie which was held on January 18, 2020, Chopra stated that nearly half of his crew associated with the film were local Muslims who were aware of the subject and termed the movie as a means of healing and a fight between two friends.
Filmmaker Ashoke Pandit had criticised the film’s trailer and Chopra’s stance, saying that ”making a film on #KashmiriHinduExodus & not questioning the majority population who came out in support of terrorists esp. on 19th Jan. Is like giving a clean chit to #AjmalKasab. Victim saying sorry to trrsts & and terrorisists hugging the victim is a big farce & impossible.”
After Ashoke Pandit’s tweet, writer of Shikara Rahul Pandita defended the movie saying as a Kashmiri Pandit himself he will not ”betray the memory of those who fell to the bullets of radical Islamists.”
The trailer of the film hit the internet recently. It begins with a young couple witnessing a Kashmiri Pandit’s house being burned down. Their world turns upside down when thousands of Pandits are forced to leave their land and their only hope is love. The trailer also shows instances of violence that the couple witnesses and experiences. The film stars newcomers Sadia and Aadil Khan in the lead roles and captures the story that chronicles the 1990s exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the valley.
Shikara marks Chopra’s return to his hometown Srinagar, post Hrithik Roshan and Preity Zinta-starrer Mission Kashmir (2000). The filming for Shikara reportedly began in March 2018 in the valley. The film is all set to release on 7th February 2020.
