Local casting in ‘Kashmir Files’ runs into controversy

When the father of a nine-year-old boy received a video clip of the film Kashmir Files from his friend, he was shocked to see his son cast in the movie that had triggered tempers across the country for its polemic plotline.

The father, a houseboat owner in the iconic Dal Lake of Srinagar, had been following news about filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri’s controversial film Kashmir Files, which was being called out for its ‘one-sided’ story of the violence that unfolded in 1990, resulting in the migration of Kashmiri Pandits from the valley.

The boy’s father, who did not want his name disclosed for the fear of repercussions, played the video clip of a scene that shows his son playing the character of a boy who follows the directions of a militant in the film.

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

“I was shocked to see my son in the movie,” the boy’s father told The Federal, weeks after the movie was released and declared a big hit across India.

One of the reasons why many resident Kashmiris do not know the details about the movie and its storyline is because no cinema house operates in Kashmir since they were shut when violence broke out in the valley in 1989.

As Internet connection is unstable and weak in the valley since August 5, 2019 after the revocation of Article 370, only a few have been able to watch the movie online.

How the casting happened

During the initial days of the shooting of Kashmir Files — a time when filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri faced an online backlash for his “veg Wazwan” remark—  the houseboat owner and father of the boy was approached by his friend Muneer Khan for a “TV serial shooting.”

(Veg Wazwan is the name Agnihotri gave to all vegetarian cuisine he had at a local hotel.  It is a modification of the Kashmiri Wazwan, a Kashmiri multi-course non-vegetarian meal plan with a sprinkling of vegetarian dishes).

Muneer Khan at the time was working with K-Productions, and was in charge of the line production for the film.

“Well, I didn’t have any role in the film casting,” Muneer Khan told The Federal. “I was present along with my friend at the shooting spot and took some photographs. That’s it.”

But the houseboat owner recalled how the crew used his boat for 24 hours.

“It was the month of Chailai Kalan (the coldest 40-day winter spell in Kashmir). There were just seven to eight persons. My children were also there. They didn’t pay anything to me, neither did they seek my consent for using my son in the movie,” the owner alleged.

Now that the film is playing, triggering anger among large sections of people in the Kashmir valley, the houseboat owner’s family is worried. “They betrayed our trust,” he claims. “It’s ok if they used our property, but showing my son in the movie and that too without my consent is unacceptable.”

Also read: ‘The Untold Kashmir Files’ made by JK Police released online

This is the first time that the family which routinely rents out its houseboats for the shooting of music albums and serials has objected to a filmmaker’s alleged “unethical conduct”.

“Our children usually get excited when they see the cast and crew coming to our houseboat for shooting, but playing with my son’s innocence is wrong,” says the father.

Local producers’ view

The Federal contacted Kashmir Files’ line producer in Srinagar, Rafiq Ahmad Khan, for his version. He expressed ignorance over what had transpired.

Munneer Khan and Rafiq Ahmed Khan admit they are partners in K Productions. Muneer Khan had approached the boy’s father who knows both of them. There is an informal arrangement about the sharing of responsibilities between Munneer and Rafiq within the company.

“The film crew was in Kashmir for two days and they had the full support of the local administration,” said Rafiq Khan. “They contacted me through my friend Atul, the executive producer of the film. I was told they were making a movie on Kashmiri Pandits but they did not mention it would be a one-sided story.”

Rafiq Khan denied that the boy cast in the movie was the son of the houseboat owner. “We selected a random child in the shikara for that role,” he said. “And he was paid as a junior artist.”

This reporter, however, independently confirmed that the boy in the shikara scene was indeed the owner’s son. Rafiq too, incidentally, plays a role in the scene alongside the boy.

But like the boy’s father, Rafiq regrets his decision to play a part in the film. “I was satisfied with my small role in the film, but once the trailer was out I feared they may have changed my dialogues with dubbing.  Fortunately, they have not done that,” he said. “My association with the film was based on trust. I did not sign a formal contract. Now, I regret it.”

Rafiq Mohammad Bhat, the shikara rower in the scene says, “Since they don’t share details of the film with locals, how would we know what is going on? I faced a lot of problems after the movie was released. I got calls from many people questioning me for being part of the controversial movie. They paid me just ₹780 that day as shikara ride fare for the film and I rowed it myself. But I didn’t know it will end up haunting me.”

Also read: Shikara on Amazon Prime too fails to tell the ‘true’ story of Kashmiri Pandits

The boy’s father is now planning to sue the filmmakers. “This is the least I can do,” he says, before quickly adding, “But I guess it won’t undo what has been done with certain intent.”

Agnihotri’s denial

However, film director Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri refuted all allegations saying that line producers had the full script with them and all payments to them had been cleared.

All our production in Kashmir was handled by local line producers. All dues to them have been cleared.  If there’s anyone who can answer your questions they are the line producers in Kashmir who undertook this project on turnkey basis, Agnihotri told The Federal.

“The line producers had the full script with them. Not only that, one of them even wrote one of the most important scenes for the film. One of them even acted it out. For permissions, script was sent. So anyone saying they weren’t aware is a blatant lie,” said Agnihotri.