Vivek Agnihotri fears ‘backlash will increase’ after The Kashmir Files' National Award win

In a momentous turn of events, filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri’s directed film, The Kashmir Files, based on the plight of Kashmiri Hindus who faced mass exodus, has won the National Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration.

Elated to hear the news, the director, on a call from the US, says, “It was very early in the morning when my phone started buzzing, and that’s how I got to know about it. I had no clue. I’m very happy, especially for the Kashmiri Hindu community, because the film was their voice of pain and struggle. I was just the medium. We just made our film honestly and presented it in front of the world. I am very happy that it has got validation now.”

That being said, the 49-year-old is anticipating a potential surge in negative attention -- similar to what the film received from some sections upon its release due to its sensitive subject -- despite this prestigious recognition now.

“Do you think that the trolls won’t hate or attack me anymore? In fact, the backlash is going to increase after the National award, because we stand vindicated,” says the filmmaker, who’s shooting for his next, The Vaccine War.

Brushing off detractors as naysayers, Agnihotri confidently states, “Some 8-10 voices mean nothing to me. They are just a bunch of negative people. I don’t care about them. More than trolls with a different political inclination, there were maximum people who loved the film. And this National Award is for them.”

The filmmaker, whose wife, actor Pallavi Joshi has also bagged a National Award for The Kashmir Files in the Best Supporting Actress category, believes that this accolade will serve as an inspiration for other filmmakers to delve into real subjects and produce meaningful cinematic narratives. “Getting the most prestigious recognition will definitely encourage many other filmmakers to make films on such real subjects,” he wraps up.