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Screenwriter and director Saeed Akhtar Mirza calls Vivek Agnihotri’s Kashmir files, Garbage

Indian film has benefited from numerous outstanding works by screenwriter and director Saeed Akhtar Mirza, including Naseem and Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyoon Aata Hai. Additionally, he is the driving force behind well-known TV series like Nukkad and Intezaar.
In a recent interview with a leading portal, the author of the late filmmaker Kundan Shah’s book spoke up about today’s cinema and shared his thoughts on the divisive but commercially successful Vivek Agnihotri film The Kashmir Files.

The movie was once again in the spotlight after IFFI jury chair Nadav Lapid referred to it as a “vulgar” and “propaganda” picture. Kashmir Files, according to Saeed Mirza, “For me, The Kashmir Files is garbage. Is the Kashmiri Pandit issue garbage? No, it’s not. It’s real. Is it just Kashmiri Hindus? No. Muslims, too, are caught in an incredibly vulgar trap of the machinations of intelligence agencies, nations with so-called national interests, and paid guys from across the border, who continue to create havoc. The point is not to take sides. Be human and try to understand.”

In the same conversation, he also mentioned how Shah had previously apologised to Mirza for the Gujarat riots in 2002, adding, “He apologised to me about the Gujarat riots. He said, I’m a Hindu so somebody needs to be accountable. I know nobody will be. I said within the 21st century you are becoming a Hindu and me, a Muslim? He said that’s what it is. You’re denying it, this is the truth of my country.”

The filmmaker also discussed how everyone, including many nations throughout the world, uses patriotism as a means of generating money. Regarding his career, Saeed Mirza most recently authored the 2018 short film Karma Cafe.

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