Asha Parekh, a seasoned Bollywood performer, has criticized The Kashmir Files’ creators and questioned whether any of their earnings were given to the welfare of Hindus in Jammu and Kashmir.
When asked about the controversy surrounding movies like The Kashmir Files and The Kerala Story, Asha said, “I haven’t seen those films, so I can’t comment on the controversies surrounding them,” in a recent interview with News18. “If people are watching them, then they should watch them,” she said in response to the question of whether or not such films should be produced.
Regarding the immense popularity of The Kashmir Files and its significant box office success, Asha Parekh raised a contentious point, stating, “Yes, people watched The Kashmir Files. I will say something controversial here…the producer of the film made Rs 400 crore. From that how much money did they give for the welfare of the Hindus living in Jammu and Kashmir? Those who don’t have water, electricity. How much money did the producer give to them?”
She added, “After paying everybody else’s share, the producers will have their share of profit. Suppose they earned Rs 200 crore out of the film’s Rs 400 crore earnings, they could have donated Rs 50 crore to help the people.”
Written and directed by Vivek Agnihotri, The Kashmir Files showed the Kashmiri Pandits’ departure from the Valley during the early phases of the armed insurgency, circa 1990. Along with his wife Pallavi Joshi, Abhishek Agarwal, Tej Narayan Agarwal, and Vivek, they produced the movie. In addition to starring in the movie, Pallavi won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress. The Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration was also given to the film, which starred Anupam Kher and Mithun Chakraborty in the lead parts.
