Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid defends his 'The Kashmir Files' remarks
What's the story
Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid's comments regarding The Kashmir Files at the closing ceremony of IFFI 2022 have caused quite a stir. Now, the filmmaker has stood by his words and criticism, as reported by the Israeli news website Ynet. Lapid was the head of the international jury at IFFI 2022 and called the Vivek Agnihotri directorial "propaganda and vulgar" and "inappropriate."
Context
Why does this story matter?
The Kashmir Files directed by Agnihotri premiered earlier this year and grabbed the eyeballs of citizens. The film started off slow at the box office but picked up with the word of mouth. The house was divided—one criticized the film and the other praised the film. Recently, Lapid's comments sparked debate among intellectuals and Bollywood celebrities, straining relations between India and Israel.
Details
Lapid called out shades of 'fascism' in the film
Lapid termed the whole fiasco as "crazy" and said, "It's a film that the Indian government, even if it didn't actually make it, at least pushed it in an unusual way." He said that the film justifies Indian policy in Kashmir which is "fascist" in nature. He said that the movie runs the old narrative of foreign enemies and traitors within the country.
Quote
'Happy to be on my way to the airport now'
When Lapid was asked about the backlash he said that he was apprehensive about it. He stated, "Let's put it this way: I'm happy to be on my way to the airport now." Lapid's statements received flak from Israeli diplomats. Naor Gilon demanded an apology from the filmmaker. Israel Counsel General Kobb Shoshani apologized to Anupam Kher on behalf of the Israeli government.
Looking back
Agnihotri's challenge and opinions on Twitter
The whole IFFI-Lapid row had a divided house. Many Bollywood celebrities slammed the director and defended the film. Many intellectuals and journalists extended their support to Lapid and supported his remarks. Twitter has been filled with opinions and Agnihotri challenged Lapid that he will quit filmmaking if any of his scenes, dialogues, and facts shown in the movie were proven wrong.