Pada producer: I'm confused whether to make a good film or one like The Kashmir Files

Vivek Agnihotri's The Kashmir Files, based on the mass killings and exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the valley in the 1990s, is getting massive response from the audience, particularly in the North. Though a section has criticised the film for exploiting the trauma and tragedy of the Pandits for cheap rhetoric, it hasn't had any impact at the box office. Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently came out in support of the film alleging that there are attempts to discredit the film instead of assessing it on the basis of facts.

Incidentally, Pada, a Malayalam film also based on true events, got released on the same day. Directed by Kamal KM, the film is inspired by a real-life incident that occurred in the '90s when four men hailing from the Adivasi community took an IAS officer hostage as a protest against the then newly-implemented Kerala Scheduled Tribes (Regulation on Transfer of Lands and Restoration of Alienated Lands) Amendment Act, 1996.

Though Pada opened to unanimously positive reviews from the critics, the film has had a lackluster run at the box office so far. The film's producer Mukesh R Mehta took to Twitter to express his disappointment in seeing how his film is performing as compared to The Kashmir Files at the box office.

His tweet reads, "As a film producer I am confused whether I have to make a good film or a film which will be promoted by the ruling party or a political party for non cinematic reasons It is coincidental that on the same date I released a film titled PADA a true story too."

Pada stars Kunchacko Boban, Dileesh Pothan, Vinayakan and Joju George as the leads.