Film of Truth about Kashmir

[Guest guest]

Giving a Voice to the Truth about Kashmir

Aditi Chaturvedi

 

I have always personally felt great anguish and rage at the

incredibly distorted and falsified portrayal of Kashmir by our

Islamist Bollywood filmmakers. Time and time again we have had to

suffer through such gross distortions of the Kashmir situation thanks

to movies like Maachis, Mission Kashmir, etc. which not only

completely disregard the immense suffering of the Kashmiri Pandits

and Ladakh's Buddhists, but in fact glorify the bestial Jehad

perpetrated by Islamic terrorists in Kashmir.

 

We have suspended logic for long enough, many Indians have always

wished that for once, someone with the guts and courage to expose

these falsehoods would come forward and make a film that is based on

the true situation in Kashmir. That's why this month's MediaWatch

Star of the Month Award goes to Ashok Pandit, the director of TV

serials like Filmi Chakkar, Tere Mere Sapne, Muqammal, Mungeri Lal Ke

Bhai Naurangi Lal, Sarhad and Colgate Top 10, who will debut as a

film director with his first movie called "Meri Zameen" which will

try to present the true perspective on Kashmir with an emphasis on

the sufferings of the persecuted Kashmiri Hindus.

 

This is not Pandit's first attempt to highlight the plight of the

Hindus who are the hapless victims of Islamic genocide in the Valley.

His earlier documentary Sharnarthi Apne Hi Desh Mein won the

prestigious RAPA awards for its moving portrayal of their sorry

plight. No doubt his motivation to make such factual accounts stems

from Pandit's own origins. He himself is a Kashmiri Pandit who was

born in Murran, Kashmir.

 

The government's decision to extend an inexcusable one-sided

ceasefire and resultant press coverage given to the Islamic

terrorists of the Hurriyat Conference has angered Ashok even more. As

a result he has accelerated his work on "Meri Zameen". In a recent

interview he expressed his rage at the way Bollywood's denizens

continually distort the reality of Kashmir with a scathing criticism

of Vidhu Vinod Chopra's recent film, Mission Kashmir.

 

"Take for instance Vidhu Vinod Chopra's Mission Kashmir. I strongly

object to its slogan which says that it's the story of two brave men.

A police officer and a terrorist cannot be called brave in the same

breath. Lakhs of people were subjected to tortures, does that mean

that all of those people - Kashmiri Pandits take to the gun? Is that

the solution? Hrithik is shown leading the Hizbul Mujahideen and

other terrorist groups. How can he be shown as the hero? Khalid

Mohamed too committed the same blunder in Fiza. My film is about what

I feel. The film is about how I feel being displaced from Kashmir. I

have seen how militants treated my sisters and mothers in Kashmir.

That is one reason why I disagree with Vidhu Vinod Chopra's notion of

calling a terrorist and a militant as a brave man. How can you call

rapists and murderers brave men? Mission Kashmir has not portrayed

what the problem in Kashmir is."

 

According to Pandit his film is about a father and daughter who are

displaced from Kashmir. It is about the problems of the Kashmiri

Hindu refugees and the world they had to leave behind due to the

horror and violence of Islamic intolerance . It is their interaction

with the Muslim characters around them which forms the essence of the

film. However, Pandit quickly clarifies that, "my film is no

political film and so I offer no solutions. However, I am questioning

both Hindus and Muslims as to why they remain silent about the wrongs

done to them. Media, politicians and bureaucrats will also be

questioned. For example do you know who burnt down Charar-e-sharif?

It was a Muslim. And to think that more Hindus visited this revered

site than Muslims. What I am trying to say is that it is our own

people who are responsible for the pitiable state of affairs. It is

this weakness that the ISI and other such groups have taken advantage

of and the innocent inhabitants of Kashmir have borne the brunt of it

all. Unarmed are the targets for gunshots."

 

Pandit has roped in producer Arun Muchhala to back his venture and

also signed on actor Anupam Kher and Bengali actress Nandana Dev Sen

to play lead roles in his film. Raman Kumar has scripted the film.

 

Let's hope that Ashok Pandit's film will live up to the expectations

that it has aroused. It would indeed be a matter of great inspiration

for the Kashmiri Hindus and all Indians, if the true story of Kashmir

could be portrayed on screen instead of the Islamist propaganda that

currently passes under this label. Given Mr. Pandit's motivations and

his opinions on the relevance of Kashmir, it certainly looks as if

his directorial venture will live up to its name. It is important

that films such as his are made so that truth too has a voice amidst

the din of falsehood.

 

Moreover such creative ventures are essential for all Indians to

realize the relevance of the Kashmir issue to their own lives, for as

Ashok Pandit says, "Indians must understand that the Kashmir problem

is not just the problem of Kashmir. It is the problem of India. If

Kashmir is gone, Delhi will be soon gone. Then Maharashtra will

follow and Gujarat. Finally, nothing will be left of India. If one

part of India goes, all of India goes. It is as simple as that. We

Kashmiri Pandits have now reached a point where we wonder if we have

followed the right track. The way we have protested has brought us

nothing. We should have perhaps gone the way of the Yaseen Maliks and

Shabir Shahs. Perhaps the government would have taken us more

seriously then. They are ready to sit across the table with

militants, but not with us: that is the tragedy. That is the failure

of the way we have approached the Kashmir problem."

[Guest guest]

dear sister aditi,

 

Forgive me for writing a response to this mail. However, i feel that

it is high time we start to treat each other as humans and stop

looking at things with "one eye". That there is trouble in Kashmir is

a known fact. That Kashmiri pandits have died or been killed is a

known fact. That numerous other kashmiri residents (mostly Muslims)

have died is also a known fact. that there are numerous custody

killings & incidents of rape are known facts. Nobody wants to fight

and kill one another for the sake of fun. that people of kashmir (not

only kashmiri pandits) do not support either indian regime or

pakistan regime is a known fact. that both india and pakistan has

been playing with the poor kashmiri people is a known fact. that we

are still not respecting public opinion of kashmiris is a known fact.

Kashmiri pandits are NOT the issue for the militants there. Under the

British rule Hindus and Muslims were party together in the struggle

for freedom. "freedom fighters" for us were "militants & terrorists"

for the british regime. Kashmir is a "territorial" dispute and NOT

a "religious" one.

 

sister, "Pen is mightier than the sword" & we should use it to SOLVE

world problems NOT CREATE more just like the media does. please

forgive me if my mail sounds harsh but in kashmir, hindus are not

dying, nor muslims, but humans.

 

regards,

saif/

 

ps: can someone send me internet links to translation of vedas ?

 

vediculture, Aditi Chaturvedi wrote:

> Giving a Voice to the Truth about Kashmir

> Aditi Chaturvedi

>

> I have always personally felt great anguish and rage at the

> incredibly distorted and falsified portrayal of Kashmir by our

> Islamist Bollywood filmmakers. Time and time again we have had to

> suffer through such gross distortions of the Kashmir situation

thanks

> to movies like Maachis, Mission Kashmir, etc. which not only

> completely disregard the immense suffering of the Kashmiri Pandits

> and Ladakh's Buddhists, but in fact glorify the bestial Jehad

> perpetrated by Islamic terrorists in Kashmir.

>

> We have suspended logic for long enough, many Indians have always

> wished that for once, someone with the guts and courage to expose

> these falsehoods would come forward and make a film that is based

on

> the true situation in Kashmir. That's why this month's MediaWatch

> Star of the Month Award goes to Ashok Pandit, the director of TV

> serials like Filmi Chakkar, Tere Mere Sapne, Muqammal, Mungeri Lal

Ke

> Bhai Naurangi Lal, Sarhad and Colgate Top 10, who will debut as a

> film director with his first movie called "Meri Zameen" which will

> try to present the true perspective on Kashmir with an emphasis on

> the sufferings of the persecuted Kashmiri Hindus.

>

> This is not Pandit's first attempt to highlight the plight of the

> Hindus who are the hapless victims of Islamic genocide in the

Valley.

> His earlier documentary Sharnarthi Apne Hi Desh Mein won the

> prestigious RAPA awards for its moving portrayal of their sorry

> plight. No doubt his motivation to make such factual accounts stems

> from Pandit's own origins. He himself is a Kashmiri Pandit who was

> born in Murran, Kashmir.

>

> The government's decision to extend an inexcusable one-sided

> ceasefire and resultant press coverage given to the Islamic

> terrorists of the Hurriyat Conference has angered Ashok even more.

As

> a result he has accelerated his work on "Meri Zameen". In a recent

> interview he expressed his rage at the way Bollywood's denizens

> continually distort the reality of Kashmir with a scathing

criticism

> of Vidhu Vinod Chopra's recent film, Mission Kashmir.

>

> "Take for instance Vidhu Vinod Chopra's Mission Kashmir. I strongly

> object to its slogan which says that it's the story of two brave

men.

> A police officer and a terrorist cannot be called brave in the same

> breath. Lakhs of people were subjected to tortures, does that mean

> that all of those people - Kashmiri Pandits take to the gun? Is

that

> the solution? Hrithik is shown leading the Hizbul Mujahideen and

> other terrorist groups. How can he be shown as the hero? Khalid

> Mohamed too committed the same blunder in Fiza. My film is about

what

> I feel. The film is about how I feel being displaced from Kashmir.

I

> have seen how militants treated my sisters and mothers in Kashmir.

> That is one reason why I disagree with Vidhu Vinod Chopra's notion

of

> calling a terrorist and a militant as a brave man. How can you call

> rapists and murderers brave men? Mission Kashmir has not portrayed

> what the problem in Kashmir is."

>

> According to Pandit his film is about a father and daughter who are

> displaced from Kashmir. It is about the problems of the Kashmiri

> Hindu refugees and the world they had to leave behind due to the

> horror and violence of Islamic intolerance . It is their

interaction

> with the Muslim characters around them which forms the essence of

the

> film. However, Pandit quickly clarifies that, "my film is no

> political film and so I offer no solutions. However, I am

questioning

> both Hindus and Muslims as to why they remain silent about the

wrongs

> done to them. Media, politicians and bureaucrats will also be

> questioned. For example do you know who burnt down Charar-e-sharif?

> It was a Muslim. And to think that more Hindus visited this revered

> site than Muslims. What I am trying to say is that it is our own

> people who are responsible for the pitiable state of affairs. It is

> this weakness that the ISI and other such groups have taken

advantage

> of and the innocent inhabitants of Kashmir have borne the brunt of

it

> all. Unarmed are the targets for gunshots."

>

> Pandit has roped in producer Arun Muchhala to back his venture and

> also signed on actor Anupam Kher and Bengali actress Nandana Dev

Sen

> to play lead roles in his film. Raman Kumar has scripted the film.

>

> Let's hope that Ashok Pandit's film will live up to the

expectations

> that it has aroused. It would indeed be a matter of great

inspiration

> for the Kashmiri Hindus and all Indians, if the true story of

Kashmir

> could be portrayed on screen instead of the Islamist propaganda

that

> currently passes under this label. Given Mr. Pandit's motivations

and

> his opinions on the relevance of Kashmir, it certainly looks as if

> his directorial venture will live up to its name. It is important

> that films such as his are made so that truth too has a voice

amidst

> the din of falsehood.

>

> Moreover such creative ventures are essential for all Indians to

> realize the relevance of the Kashmir issue to their own lives, for

as

> Ashok Pandit says, "Indians must understand that the Kashmir

problem

> is not just the problem of Kashmir. It is the problem of India. If

> Kashmir is gone, Delhi will be soon gone. Then Maharashtra will

> follow and Gujarat. Finally, nothing will be left of India. If one

> part of India goes, all of India goes. It is as simple as that. We

> Kashmiri Pandits have now reached a point where we wonder if we

have

> followed the right track. The way we have protested has brought us

> nothing. We should have perhaps gone the way of the Yaseen Maliks

and

> Shabir Shahs. Perhaps the government would have taken us more

> seriously then. They are ready to sit across the table with

> militants, but not with us: that is the tragedy. That is the

failure

> of the way we have approached the Kashmir problem."