“Cheap politics”: CM Stalin questions national film award to ‘The Kashmir Files’

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Thursday questioned the Hindutva propaganda movie “The Kashmir Files” being selected for an award for national integration, saying that the dignity of national film awards should not be impacted for “cheap politics.”

In a social media post, Stalin expressed shock over the Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri-directed film winning the award.

“On the other side, it is shocking that the Nargis Dutt award for best film on national integration has been announced for a film boycotted by non-partisan film critics as controversial,” Stalin, president of the ruling DMK in the state, said without naming The Kashmir Files.”

He said that the absence of political bias in the literature and film awards makes the awards a timeless honour.

“The dignity of national awards should not be scuttled for cheap politics,” he added.

He also congratulated the other winners, specifically those who contributed to Tamil cinema. He lauded singer Shreya Ghosal, musician Srikanth Deva and the crews of ‘Kadaisi Vivasayi” and “Sirpigalin Sirpangal” for winning awards in respective categories.

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah mocked the film’s win and quoted a post about the news with, “National integration” and added a laughing emoticon.

‘The Kashmir Files’, directed by Vivek Agnihotri, was praised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Hindu nationalist followers while was flagged by film critics, Opposition leaders and Muslim groups for its hatred towards Muslims.

International Film Festival of India Jury head and Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid had said the jurors at the film festival were “disturbed and shocked” by ‘The Kashmir Files’. “That felt to us like a propaganda, vulgar movie, inappropriate for an artistic competitive section of such a prestigious film festival,” he said.