The Kashmir Files (2022)

Content warning: strong scenes of violence, traumatic imagery, depictions of loss and communal conflict. The Kashmir Files (2022) is a tense, emotionally charged thriller that dramatizes the experiences of Kashmiri Pandit victims from the 1990 exodus, drawing on video interviews with first‑generation survivors. At its center is Krishna Pandit (Darshan Kumar), a JNU student who believes, as his grandfather Pushkar Nath (Anupam Kher) told him, that his parents died in an accident. After Nath’s death, Krishna returns to Kashmir to fulfill his grandfather’s last wishes and to confront a truth far darker than he imagined. As Krishna meets four of Nath’s old friends—a journalist, a doctor, a former police officer and a retired civil servant—the film unfolds as both a personal quest and a broader reconstruction of historical memory. Opposing narratives clash: a pro‑Azaadi JNU professor (Pallavi Joshi) offers a version of events that downplays the exodus, while Nath and the survivors insist on the reality of the violence they endured. The story becomes a journey of discovery, with harrowing revelations and vividly depicted scenes of suffering (including graphic, disturbing episodes) that underline the human cost of the tragedy. Viewers should expect an intense, often brutal viewing experience that prioritizes testimony, grief and moral urgency over subtlety. The film mixes documentary sensibilities with dramatized, shocking sequences designed to provoke strong emotional responses—anger, sorrow, outrage and a desire for answers. It also raises questions about memory, justice, political narratives and how societies reckon with collective trauma. The Kashmir Files is likely to leave audiences unsettled and reflective, and to spark debate about the historical events it portrays.

Actors: Mithun Chakraborty, Anupam Kher, Darshan Kumaar

Director: Vivek Agnihotri

Genre: Thriller

8.6 /10 8.6 /10