On the 30th anniversary of the remarkable exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley, filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra organized a special screening of his upcoming movie “Shikara: The Untold Story Of Kashmiri Pandits” on Sunday in National Capital.
The screening is of 30 minutes, 200 Kashmiri Pandits, including many refugees from Jagti migrant camp in Jammu along with Abhijat Joshi and Rahul Pandita, the other two writers of the film, graced the show.
“I am a filmmaker. I may not be too good or maybe I am just up to the mark when it comes to talking about my work. That’s why I decided to show a presentation to you first. You all came from Jammu especially for this occasion, so I am very thankful to every one of you. This film is all about your struggle and I am thankful to you for sharing your story. It took me 11 years to make the film. I am sorry if, I am getting emotional because this is not just a film, but our life’s story,’’ says the filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra.
Rahul Pandita and Vidhu Vinod Chopra
Shikara brings back the untold story of Kashmiri pandits from the valley of 1990. The film is Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s tribute to his mother. More than 4,00,000 Kashmiri Pandits lost their homes and became refugees in their own country which forms the storyline of Shikara.
At the event, the director showed his respect, credit, and gratitude to the Kashmiri Pandits through a short clip, helming the journey of making this film.
Vidhu Vinod Chopra shares, “must go out to the whole world and in India that the only thing to hate is hate.”
“Muslims of Kashmir gave me lots of support to make this film on the exodus of the Pandits. This was Kashmir and Insha-Allah this Kashmir will come back. It’s my hope that we will go back and live the way we used to,” added the director.
Rahul Pandita, a writer-journalist-author of the book on the exodus “Our Moon Has Blood Clots” shares, “We were asked to leave our houses within a week. All of us left like suddenly. My mother left Kashmir with three suitcases along with me since my childhood. I can’t even narrate what all we faced at that time. The humiliation, bathing under public taps, no blankets, standing all day for tomatoes, even after all this we never lost hope. When I go back to Kashmir, I feel the Kashmiri language erupts into me.”
Presented by Fox Star Studios, produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra Production and co-produced by Fox Star Studio, featuring Aadil Khan and Sadia, Shikara, will be hitting the screen on 7th February 2020.
