Vidhu Vinod Chopra is the only man in the industry who makes films because he thinks 'this is a story that needs to be told, so let's tell it.'?
That's what Rajkumar Hirani had once said this about the ace filmmaker, and rightly so. He is indeed the master of storytelling. The man who has produced blockbusters like 3 Idiots and the Munna Bhai series has left such a mark in the industry that his movies will be remembered for a long time.?
His upcoming movie Shikara: The Untold Story Of Kashmiri Pandits has already made way to coffee table discussions and drawing room debates, even before its release. ?
Hailed as a "story of resilience in the face of insurmountable odds¡±, Vidhu Vinod Chopra's Shikara: The Untold Story Of Kashmiri Pandits addresses the issue of ethnic cleansing and riots that took place in Kashmir in the year 1989.
Can there be anything worse than losing your own homeland??
That's what Vidhu Vinod Chopra also wants to ask through Shikara, a film that's based on the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits.?
On Jan 13, 1990, Kashmiri Pandits, a community of proud people witnessed a horrific incident that led to their exodus from the valley of Kashmir.
Thirty years later, in Shikara, a film penned down by Rahul Pandita and directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, there's a line that the protagonist says -- ¡°Dekhna parliament mein shor zarur machega¡± -- still resonates with a lot of people who suffered years ago and are still living with hope.?
If you are enticed by the story and the uproar the film has caused even before its release, here are 11 reasons why you should watch the film.?
The filmmaker has directed path-breaking movies like Parinda and 1942 A Love Story & Mission Kashmir but it has been 13 years since he last directed Hindi movie Eklavya: The Royal Guard. The story of Shikara is so close to his heart that he has not only directed, but also produced and edited this movie.
4000 real Kashmiri Pandit Refugees from Jagti refugee camp have acted in the movie and recreated the scenarios that they had gone through about 30 years ago. They relieved their exile to tell the world their story through this movie. Sharing the behind-the-scenes video, Vidhu Vinod Chopra had penned down a heartfelt note for them.?
¡°30 years later, more than 4,000 real Kashmiri Pandit refugees recreated 19th January 1990 in a hope that this time their story won't go unheard.¡±
Watch them narrate their story in the video below.
Vidhu Vinod Chopra has claimed that the movie is based on real-incidents. It is also said that the protagonist couple is a reflection of Chopra's own parents. What's more? Interestingly, Shanti Dhar, the female lead character in the movie shares the same name with the filmmaker's mother, known as Shanti Devi Chopra.
"It took me 11 years to make this film. I could have made three Munna Bhai films and two 3 Idiots in this duration. People ask me, why this film? And my answer is that it's not just a film. I have made this film for my mother who died before she could return to her home in Kashmir," he was quoted as saying.
Titled Shikara: Tribute to a Mother, the short-film is heartwarming.
"It has been 30 years and nothing has been done yet. Koi shor nahi macha (There was no clamour about this)," the director said, referring to a dialogue from the film's clip wherein one person mentions that he is confident that there will be "shor" in the Parliament about the exodus.
"My hope is that ab toh shor macha do," he added.
"I want people to go online and just write ''Sorry to all the Kashmiri Pandits'' as we didn''t do anything. Sorry to all of you who continue to live in refugee camps even after 30 years of the exodus. This is my only hope. We are still waiting to hear awe are sorry, Kashmiri Pandits''," said an emotional Vidhu Vinod.
He even said that he wants Shaheen Bagh-like place for Kashmiri Pandits as well.?
"The only thing to hate is hate. I hope this message goes out all around the country," he had said during the screening of the movie.
He recalled all the? harrowing moments that Kashmiri Pandits faced during that time, from taking bath openly to struggling to meet basic food necessities.
"We were asked to leave our houses within a matter of weeks. All of us left like that, suddenly. My mother was exactly my age in 1990 when she left Kashmir with three -- one with my and my sisters' books, others had some clothes. I can't even narrate what all we faced. The humiliation, bathing under public taps, no daris, no blankets, standing all day for tomatoes, but we never lost hope," he said.
"Justice ki toh baat jaane dijiye, at the very least we need an acknowledgment," added Rahul.
Who wouldn't want to work in a VV Chopra film? Instead of casting Bollywood biggies, Chopra has picked up raw talent from J&K. Aadil Khan, who plays the male lead role of Shiv Kumar Dhar is originally from Kashmir and Sadia Dhar, who essays the role of Shanti Dhar comes from a small town in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Mozart of Madras has composed music for this heart-touching story. The soul-stirring background score and theme already has the audiences raving about the music of the movie. The theme of the music in the trailers released has struck a chord with the audiences.?
Did you know about 400,000 Kashmiri Hindu Pandits were forced to leave their houses overnight due to religious persecution? Until today, they continue to live as refugees in their own country. No political party and not even the media came out in their support at large. Was the truth silenced??