The Kashmir Files trailer out: Exodus or genocide? asks Mithun Chakraborty starrer

ZEE Studios has released the trailer for The Kashmir Files. Written and directed by Vivek Agnihotri, the film is backdropped on the exodus of Kashmiri Pandit Hindus from the valley. "Exodus nahi, genocide," insists Mithun Chakraborty, the snowy landscape matching the actor's silvery tufts and tired eyes.

The story plays out on two timelines: one recaptulating the violence and tumult of the 1990s, another centred on present-day Kashmir. Darshan Kumar is Krishna, a young man retracing the past and agitating for justice. Pallavi Joshi and Anupam Kher get angry, voluble roles, and it's just incredible to see Puneet Issar back in action. Vivek, following up his The Tashkent Files (2019), does not hold back: there are screams of 'jihad', a picture of Hindu idols being burned, and the cash-in spectacle of little kids getting shot.  The provocations are endless, though who can argue with a film that cites 'audience reaction' to declare itself a masterpiece?

According to the makers, The Kashmir Files is based on video interviews of 'the first generation victims of The Kashmir Genocide of Kashmiri Pandit community'. The film was shot in 2020-2021, well after the revocation of the special status of the former state of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Kashmir Files releases in theatres on March 11.