New Delhi: Filmmaker Sudipto Sen, who was one of the jury members at the International Film Festival of India, has said that IFFI jury head Lapid's remark about The Kashmir Files “was completely his personal opinion” and that jury members “never mentioned anything about our likes or dislikes”.
Sen took to Twitter to clarify the jury members’ stand on the issue and wrote, “Whatever has been said by IFFI 2022 Jury Chairman Mr. Nadav Lapid about the film Kashmir Files, from the stage of closing ceremony of 53rd IFFI was completely his personal opinion. In the official presentation of the Jury Board to the Festival Director and in the official Press Conference, where we 4 juries (the fifth jury had to leave for her personal emergency) were present and interacted with the press, we never mentioned anything about our likes or dislikes. Both were our official collective opinion. As juror, we are assigned to judge the technical, aesthetic quality and socio-cultural relevance of a film. We don't indulge in any kind of political comments on any film and if it is done, it is completely in personal capacity - nothing to do with the esteemed Jury Board.”
He further wrote in a tweet, “We are proud to judge & award Best 6 cinema/individuals of our time unanimously. #IFFI stands behind its fair selection of films representing diverse themes & complex viewpoints from all over the world, just as it acknowledges their subjective interpretations. #IFFI2022 @nfdcindia.”
Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid called Vivek Agnihotri's film a ‘propaganda’ and a vulgar movie in Goa last evening.
"We were, all of us, disturbed and shocked by the 15th film: The Kashmir Files. That felt to us like propaganda, vulgar movie, inappropriate for an artistic competitive section of such a prestigious film festival. I feel totally comfortable to share openly these feelings here with you on stage. Since the spirit of having a festival is to accept also a critical discussion which is essential for art and for life," he said during the closing ceremony of the film festival.
The Kashmir Files director Vivek Agnihotri and actors Anupam Kher and Darshan Kumar reacted to the statement. While Vivek Agnihotri posted a cryptic tweet that read, “Truth is the most dangerous thing. It can make people lie. #CreativeConsciousness", Anupam Kher told ANI, “...If holocaust is right, the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits is right too. Seems pre-planned as immediately after that the toolkit gang became active. May God give him wisdom.."