Anybody who has read up on the SEVEN Exoduses and Genocides of the Kashmiri Pandits would be able to recognize the scenes shown in the movie.
The movie attempts to show the horrendous plight of the Pandits (and the others who were persecuted) of their past and present. To depict the amount and types of atrocities that the victims had to go through is not possible due to the censoring and the restrictions a feature film's length poses. But despite these major stumbling blocks, the amount of information and hints strewn across the movie about the enormity of the situation is remarkable.
The performances by Mr Anupam Kher and Mr Darshan Kumar stood out. Ms Joshi played her role with aplomb and deserves fair share of the accolades. But Bhasha Sumbli, who played Sharda Pandit, emerged innocuously as a star. The direction was well done though the story appeared to have instances of slack and that of being rushed on a few occasions. Possibly, the censorship cuts played a role here but the movie is still supremely impactful.
The mainstream channels, OTT, and ofc 'bollywood' not only distanced itself but also actively worked against this project. All this amply shows how and why depicting the truth about one of the most heinous pogrom in the history of mankind had not been attempted till now. Salute to the brave Mr Agnihotri. Hopeful that the 'Director's cut' arrives in DVD+BD+Digital options.
This movie deserves the support not just in the present, but the future as well because the rivals of true cinema will not let this slide by just like that.
