A special screening was organised by a group of Kashmiri expats with the support from Manukau Indian Association at Hoyts cinema at Sylvia Park in Auckland on Monday 28th March. Around 200 people gathered to watch the much-anticipated movie which has created ripples across the globe because of the gruesome and gory details of atrocities captured in the movie. The movie is based on the genocide of Kashmiri Pandit community which took place between 1988 to 1990. Thousands of innocent Kashmiri men, women and children were mercilessly butchered by Pakistan supported fundamentalists in their bid of ethnic cleansing by throwing the minority community of Kashmiri Pandits out of Kashmir valley.

A group of Muslim community leaders and the nodal body of all Muslims in NZ, Federation of Islamic Association of New Zealand approached the Certification Office and demanded to ban the screening of the movie in New Zealand. The Certification Office accepted the request of these groups and did a second review of the movie which delayed the release of movie in New Zealand by a week. The groups demanding to ban the movie feared of backlash from Hindu groups due to the islamophobia the movie may create. Certification Office after reviewing the movie changed the rating from R16 to R18, which means viewers of 18 years or above only can see this movie. Certification Office became a centre of controversy for this reason since majority of the people from the Indian subcontinent community desperately wanted to watch the movie due to the euphoria it has created world over. Strangely, despite of all anger, sadness, and display of emotions, not even one incident of any backlash or any violence has been reported from any part of the world. So, the fears of Muslim community leaders lacked any substance.

The movie is certainly not a work of fiction, it is based on the events that happened just 32-35 years ago in the beautiful Himalayan state of Kashmir. The exodus that took place in the aftermath of the genocide in the valley forced around 500k Kashmiri Pandits to leave their homes and homeland to save their lives and to live in some very inhospitable conditions for many decades in different parts of India. Some of them moved to different parts of the world and many of these Kashmiri Pandits moved to New Zealand also. A good number of Kashmiri Pandit people live in New Zealand and many of them were present at the special screening of Kashmir Files. The movie is brutally discomforting at many places especially towards the end. A lot has already been said and written everywhere about the content, direction, and the performances of the actors in the movie. The outcome, of course is for everyone to see and understand. What happened in the independent India where both state and the centre government remained mute spectators to one of the most gruesome genocides unleashed by the religious fundamentalists.

The best thing happened after the release of this movie is that a lot of political parities and its leaders stand exposed of their role in this tragedy. The same people are shamelessly opposing the movie and trying to spread misinformation about it. The movie anyway is finally going to screen for public in New Zealand on 31st March and the audience will decide how do they find the movie. After the special screening, many people appeared shocked and upset at the end of movie and couldn’t hide their emotions, they sobbed, cried, and comforted each other after remembering what happened with them and with their families 32 years ago. – Yugal Parashar