Before I say anything about The Kashmir Files, it is essential to put a disclaimer that while this film does talk about some very pertinent facts, for me it is not Vivek Agnihotri, the person.
As a social scientist and a vocal feminist, I am aware of Agnihotri’s sexist and unscientific views. He may have become smarter with time, but the internet is an unforgiving logbook. It is also important to acknowledge that making a film like this when you have a right-wing government at the centre is convenient. But the question that arises is that if it is so convenient, why has nobody made a film that depicts the conflict-induced migration of Kashmiri Pandits? While some people on Twitter have said that it uses real-life trauma to sell a product and a propaganda vehicle, many Kashmiri Pandits found it cathartic because it was for the first time that we could see our food (nadru, dumolu, maunj haakh), our culture, our crewel curtains, our saints such as Gopinath bab, on the big screen.