Vidhu Vinod Chopra Dedicates 'Shikara' To His Mother Who Couldn't Return To Her Home In Kashmir
Shikara: The Untold Story Of Kashmiri Pandits addresses the issue of ethnic cleasing and riots that took place in Kashmir in the year 1989. The film chronicles the exodus of KashmiriPandits from Kashmir on the night of 19 January 1990 through the story of Shiv Kumar Dhar and Shanti Dhar.
Touted to be 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 cleasing and riots that took place in Kashmir in the year 1989.
The film chronicles the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from Kashmir on the night of 19 January 1990 through the story of Shiv Kumar Dhar (essayed by Aadil Khan) and Shanti Dhar (essayed by Sadia).
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To mark the 30th anniversary of the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley, filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra held a special screening of his upcoming movie Shikara: The Untold Story Of Kashmiri Pandits for Kashmiri Pandits on Sunday (18 January) in New Delhi.
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The screening of about 30 minutes was attended by 30 Kashmiri Pandits, that included refugees from Jagti migrant camp from Jammu. Some of them have also worked in the movie.
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Vidhu Vinod Chopra who has not only directed but edited and produced the movie as well, said that the film is close to his heart. He has made this film for his mother.
"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.
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Vidhu Vinod Chopra is still waiting to hear "we are sorry" from the people of the nation for not doing anything after the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits in 1990. He wants people to remember that "the only thing to hate is hate".
"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.
The movie is slated to release on Feb 7.
Garima Satija leads the Entertainment vertical of Indiatimes. A storyteller at heart who enjoys the thrill of writing, she is sometimes found daydreaming about living the lives of movie characters. Also, she hates talking about herself in the third person.
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