'The Kashmir Files' back in theatres; will it affect SRK's 'Pathaan'?

Bollywood continues to reel under controversies, as The Kashmir Files, a film highlighting the plight of Kashmiri Pandits in the Kashmir valley, and which became a runaway hit in 2022, has re-released in theatres on January 19 this year. The film’s director Vivek Agnihotri took to Twitter a day before to make the announcement and claimed that it was the first time that a film is releasing in theatres for the second time.

ANNOUNCEMENT: #TheKashmirFiles is re-releasing on 19th January – The Kashmiri Hindu Genocide Day. This is the first time ever a film is releasing twice in a year. If you missed watching it on BIG SCREEN, book your tickets NOW👇. https://t.co/LP0NKokbaehttps://t.co/J7s03w8P31 pic.twitter.com/TNxhq0L68V

— Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) January 18, 2023

The decision to re-release the film has taken the film industry by surprise. However, the filmmaker claims that the movie is being re-released on January 19 to coincide with The Kashmiri Hindu Genocide Day.

For the uninitiated, January 19 is observed as The Kashmiri Hindu Genocide Day by Kashmiri Pandits every year to commemorate the killings of Kashmiri Pandits in Jammu and Kashmir due to the insurgency in the valley.

Also read: ‘Victim of hate campaign’: The Kashmir Files director accuses press clubs of banning him

The filmmaker has been receiving positive response on Twitter from certain sections of the society including filmmaker Shekhar Kapur who claimed ‘That’s Amazing’. To this Vivek replied ‘When you gotta disrupt, you gotta disrupt. New world needs new ideas’.

Agnihotri is also trying to bring down the price of film tickets in theatres. In a tweet, he wrote: Today, #TheKashmirFiles is re-releasing. In theatres. Its release itself is a message. It’s a people’s film. I am trying hard that tickets are available for less than Rs. 100/- so every Indian can watch it. Hope multiplex chains listen and we get success.

Today, #TheKashmirFiles is re-releasing. In theatres. Its release itself is a message. It’s a people’s film. I am trying hard that tickets are available for less than Rs. 100/- so every Indian can watch it. Hope multiplex chains listen and we get success.

Go, watch it today. pic.twitter.com/8Z4T0EkX8k

— Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) January 19, 2023

Impact on Pathaan

The question that is being asked in some circles is whether Vivek Agnihotri’s decision to suddenly re-release the film can prove to be a big setback for Bollywood’s mega release on Republic Day, Shah Rukh Khan’s much-awaited Pathaan.

Popular actor Prakash Belawadi does not agree with this view. One of the main actors in The Kashmir Files, Belawadi, who incidentally is also in Pathaan told The Federal that he disagrees with the view that The Kashmir Files has been released again to dent the chances of Pathaan at the box-office.

He said, “I’m not sure about that. There’s a logical problem with that idea. For The Kashmir Files to be able to ‘dent’ Pathaan, it has to find significant number of viewers again. If the  purpose is to attract more audiences for The Kashmir Files, the filmmakers are hardly going to put their re-release at risk by pitting it against a SRK-Deepika starrer.”

While advance bookings for Pathaan in global markets have been good, (the bookings in India will start from January 20), Vivek’s move cannot be taken lightly, said sources in the film industry. The Kashmir Files has a staunch following and a large number of people in India flocked to the theatres to watch the film, when it first released last year in March 2022.

The Kashmir Files was one of the most profitable Bollywood films of 2022. Made on a budget of Rs 15 crores, the film had raked in nearly Rs 250 crores at the box-office.

Filmmaker Vivek and his wife/producer issued a joint statement that said: “The Kashmir Files has done what it was supposed to do. It already has spread the truth about Kashmiri Hindu genocide. Tomorrow is The Kashmiri Hindu Genocide Day, and we are re-releasing the film on big screens after receiving thousands of requests from people who missed it out the first time, especially the young Indians and women.”

Also read: ‘The Kashmir Files Part 2’ to release in mid-2023, reveals Vivek Agnihotri

The statement further read, “If any of you have missed the experience, here is your chance to watch it yet again on a big screen with your family, friends and loved ones. This, indeed, is the beginning of a new chapter of Indian cinema. Jai Hind.”

The last decade has not been favourable for Shah Rukh Khan and the Baadshah of Bollywood is trying to make a comeback after a five-year hiatus. There have been attempts to raise boycott calls against Pathaan on several grounds, but the makers and Shah Rukh  decided to ignore all the negativity and are going ahead with the movie.

Now, it remains to be seen if the re-release of The Kashmir Files will in anyway harm Yash Raj Film’s spy action thriller ostensibly made on a budget of Rs 250 crore.