Kashmir Files: Disagreement over a film made by Israeli director Nadav Lapid

• Israel’s ambassador to India has issued an apology for remarks made by Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid on a contentious Kashmir-related Bollywood film.
• He called the movie “propaganda” and expressed disbelief that it was accepted into the competition category. 
• The movie, which was a big economic success, had stirred up debate before to its release.

The inclusion of The Kashmir Files at the festival was criticised by Nadav Lapid, head of the jury of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI).

He called the movie “propaganda” and expressed disbelief that it was accepted into the competition category.

The movie, which was a big economic success, had stirred up debate before to its release.

The fictional account of a university student who learns that his Kashmiri Hindu parents were murdered by Islamic terrorists takes place during the flight of Hindus from Indian-administrated Kashmir in the 1990s.

During an armed insurrection against Indian control that started in the late 1980s, thousands of Kashmir Pandits, a minority population in the area, abandoned their homes in the 1990s. Many people who left the valley never came back.

The IFFI jury board stated that Mr. Lapid’s remarks were “totally his personal perspective” after his remarks sparked a significant criticism on social media.

In an open letter to the director, Naor Gilon, Israel’s ambassador to India, also criticised Mr. Lapid.

He added, “As a person, I feel guilty and want to apologise to our hosts for the poor way we returned their kindness and friendship.”

Anupam Kher, who plays the major character in The Kashmir Files, retweeted his statement.

The movie, which debuted in March and was a financial success, only earned average reviews from reviewers.

The movie also divided people’s views and sparked a contentious discussion on social media, with fans praising it for shedding light on a dark, violent chapter in Kashmir’s history. However, detractors labelled it “exploitative” and anti-Islamic.

The government-run National Film Development Corporation of India and the Goa state government jointly organise the yearly IFFI film festival.

Mr. Lapid commended “the cinematic depth, the diversity and complexity” of the films selected in the competitive category at the festival’s closing ceremony on Monday before criticising The Kashmir Files.

The Indian Express reported him as stating, “That felt to us like a propagandist, vulgar movie, improper for an aesthetic competitive section of such a prominent film festival.”

At the 2019 Berlin International Film Festival, Mr. Lapid, whose film Synonyms received the Golden Bear prize, stated that he felt “fine” stating these sentiments because “the spirit we felt in the festival can undoubtedly embrace a critical dialogue which is vital for art and life.”

“May God grant him wisdom so that he doesn’t use the tragedy of thousands and lakhs [hundreds of thousands] of people from the platform to complete his goal,” Mr. Kher said in response to the remark on Tuesday.

Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri, the film’s director, wrote in a tweet that appeared to be addressed to Mr. Lapid, “The greatest danger comes from the truth. People may start lying as a result.”

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