Cinema is the most influential form of all arts, almost everyone watches movie. Cinemas use different types of artistic expressions from audios to visuals in variety of forms. The scene, almost in every frame comprises of the mood be it motivational, romantic, horror, thriller, or informative in the form of documentaries or documentary dramas.
Cinemas can literally influence people to an extent that people can change their opinions, perspectives after watching a movie. Cinemas are used to create good and bad influences, sometimes cinemas are used for reflecting social reality and sometimes it is used as a propaganda to achieve something vile and making it a reality which otherwise would not have been so easily possible among the masses. We have seen even in the history that tyrant leaders like Hitler have used movies to serve his selfish, nationalists views and influencing the thought process of the masses in the way that the mass level oppression done openly-the genocide would appear justified and highly required!
Hitler believed that demonstrating his Nazi propaganda through controlling information was as important as controlling the military and the economy.
When Hitler ascended to power in 1933, Joseph Goebbels took over the Ministry for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda, which controlled radio, press, publishing, cinema and the other arts, turning everything into a propaganda machine which manufactured consent of their upcoming genocidal plots. Films like “The Eternal Jew (1940)” reinforced an ideology of Nazi supremacy with Leni Riefenstahl’s state-funded documentaries “Triumph of the Will”. If we analyse about these films today then we realise that even in their introduction it is mentioned that these were propaganda films, anti semites in spirits which were presented as documentaries. The director of the Triumph Of The Will – Leni Riefenstahl won several awards, not only in Germany but also in the United States, France, Sweden and other countries. The film was considered as one of the masterpieces in terms of visual language but we know what dangerous effects it has produced back then.
Recently! We have also witnessed one movie release which is the talk of the town, “Kashmir Files” directed by Vivek Agnihotri. It is widely presented as the facts based movie but anyone who is not victimised by the shackles of the manufacturing consent and controlling information’s agenda, will realise that it is a propaganda movie presented as a facts based movie to manufacture the consent of having an open genocide of muslims who are already a persecuted minority in India. Even one of the main protagonist of movie Darshan Kumar on playing Krishna Pandit admitted he almost slipped Into depression. We can imagine what impact this movie would be creating on audience/masses when each and every frame of it is highly Islamophobic and creating an atmosphere of hate, when the actor himself said that he almost slipped into depression and took the help through meditation to come out of it!
Movies like Parzania based on Gujarat 2002 was banned, documentaries like “Ram ke naam” by Anand Patwardhan based on babri ayodha issue were banned but movies like Kashmir Files were promoted by the system and the cops were given half day leave to watch it with their families.
The movie Kashmir Files doesnot talk about the kashmiris suffering the atrocities by the state about which the 43-page report by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), released on July 8, 2019, raised serious concerns about abuses by state security forces and armed groups in both Indian and Pakistan-held parts of Kashmir.
It doesnot talk about Kunan Poshpura mass rape of women done by the Indian army (reference https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.aljazeera.com/amp/features/2016/12/24/kashmir-a-look-at-the-kunan-poshpora-rapes) the half widows, the pellet gun victims. The agony of people in Kashmir under complete lockdown which was imposed by the state with no communications as well.
The movie only showed the plight of the Kashmiri pandits, that too painting it communal without highlighting that not only Kashmiri pandits but also muslims and other faith belonging people numbering around 1635 were also killed and it was not about religion, it was about allegiance, people who were considered as spies and were passing on the information to India were considered as enemies by the militants.
The number of Kasmiri Pandits killed and exodus shown in Kashmir Files is highly exaggeratedby the director Vivek Agnihotri. According to some estimates, notably by the Kashmiri Pandit Sangharsh Samiti (KPSS), of 75,343 Kashmiri Pandit families in January 1990, more than 70,000 fled between 1990 and 1992. The flight continued until 2000. The KPSS has placed the number of Kashmiri Pandits killed by militants from 1990 to 2011 at 399, the majority during 1989-90. Some 800 families have remained in the Valley through these three decades.
(reference https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/exodus-of-kashmiri-pandits-from-valley-6232410/)
“On January 20, the first stream began leaving the Valley with hastily packed belongings in whatever transport they could find. A second, larger wave left in March and April, after more Pandits were killed.
On January 21, the CRPF gunned down 160 Kashmiri Muslim protesters at the Gawkadal Bridge, which has come to be known as the worst massacre in the long history of the conflict in Kashmir.”
(reference https://www.google.com/amp/s/indianexpress.com/article/explained/exodus-of-kashmiri-pandits-from-valley-6232410/lite/) but no mention of this either in the propaganda movie Kashmir Files.
The point to be noted, in 1990’s when Kashmiri Pandits incident happened V.P Singh government was in power which was supported by BJP and the governor was Jagmohan who was backed by BJP.
It seems the Kashmiri Pandits were used by the people in power to use them for their benefits, the announcements which were made during that time was to convince them to move to the refugee camps so that they can be provided safety there, it seems as if the system themselves wanted them to evacuate, had they wanted they would have provided the safety there but they asked them to move to the refugee camps, many governments came after then but the onus always remained on muslims that why Kashmiri pandits suffered?
Kashmir was a majority muslim region ruled by a hindu priest, it was decided that kashmiri’s votes will decide whether Kashmir wants to be merged with India or with Pakistan but that voting never took place and the region remained disputed till this day, the geopolitical location, the rich resources, also makes it vulnerable for conflict and dominance of power for both the countries.
Kashmir Files movie claims that it shows their pains, to show a pain in a way that it creates an atmosphere of hate and agony and pain for Muslims is pre planned propaganda because every director and script writer always has this in mind what to tell, how to tell and what will be the expected consequences, the movie has created an atmosphere where even those were neutral before are now filled with hatred and angst against all muslims and the open genocidal call were given publicly against muslims with no accountability from the system.
Well! What to expect from the system when the ministers who are in prime positions are promoting it and are making it a tax free movie in many states and labeling everybody “anti nationalists” if they are highlighting that this movie is so similar as ‘The Triumph of the Will” and “The Eternal Jew” which was presented as documentaries back then, but fuelled the Nazi propagandas, the movie Kashmir Files has done the same, it has fuelled already sparked Islamophobic atmosphere.
Yes! You read it right, the atmosphere is already highly volatile and only a small spark is more than enough to ignite it to turn the muslims who are already persecuted minority in India into ashes.
Bollywood, media, news room were Islamophobic already, it is not true that since 2014 it has all started, there were already movies stereotyping muslims as “terrorists” but with the coming of BJP into power, it has given this Islamophobic atmosphere full support and now the atrmophere is such that the opinions expressed are all considered as anti national if they go against their own manufactured definitions of right and wrong.
Right to dissent, protests are all considered as “anti national”, this is all happening in the world’s largest democracy – “a system for the people!” but who cares?
Broad day light lynchings are widespread, the perpetrators are garlanded.
Imagine!
“If Something Is Said With a Smile, Then There Is No Criminality”, said Delhi HC on Hate Speech. But what else to expect when Supreme Court has given verdict in favour of majoritarianism in Ayodhya Babri masjid verdict.
India screams at muslims “go back to Pakistan”, Pakistan is not an Islamic country, it is just another nationalistic country, it doesnot feel a single pain when Ughyr muslims in China are suffering horribly and are persecuted by China, it is all concerned about its ties with China and says on Ughyr muslim’s horrible plight that it is their “internal matter.” “Saudia” is bombing Yemen for its national benefits, having big concerts in Jeddah, allowing indecent clubs and beaches all for its so called national interests.
What to expect and from whom? Turkey is extending hands of friendship to Israel which has occupied Palestine and oppressing beyond levels.
We are in a state where we are in stateless situation, in the name of CAA/NRC our citizenship is at stake!
We are like sheeps with no shepherd to protect us, to lead us, even the feeblest of wolves are having all the guts to attack on us because even they know, we are without our shield!
What gives strength in these tough times is the Holy Quran, being believers was never easy, the tyrants of the times, the Pharoahs have used the minority as a threat to the majority and have used propaganda and narratives to eliminate them.
Holy Quran 40:26 – And Pharaoh said, “Let me kill Moses, and let him call upon his Lord! I truly fear that he may change your traditions or cause mischief in the land.”
The poin to be noted here is that – Pharoah used the word “inni akhaafu (I fear)”, he himself was the ruler, powerful but he used the tool of fear to propagate the evil plan of killing Moosa (peace be upon him) who himself was a single messenger, minute minority, but pharoah being in power, having majority used “fear” as a tool to have the consent of eliminating Prophet Moosa (peace be upon him).
May Allah Al – Hafeez protect us all ameen and bless us with the system where no majority oppresses its minority on the basis of their own selfish political benefits ameen.