Anupam Kher reacts to 'The Kashmir Files' getting Oscar eligibility

Ever since Vivek Agnihotri announced that his critically acclaimed film ‘The Kashmir Files’ along with the lead actors of the film, Anupam Kher, Mithun Chakraborty, Darshaan Kumar and Pallavi Joshi, has been shortlisted in two categories at the Oscars 2023, much has been said and these have led to a social media storm. Recently, Anupam Kher shared his views regarding the ongoing controversy, saying the Oscar eligibility is a tight slap on the faces of those who called ‘The Kashmir Files’ a propaganda film.

Speaking to a news website, the seasoned actor shared how it feels to get shortlisted for the Oscars. According to him, it feels like a ‘thousand-mile journey is done by taking the first step’.

Anupam insisted that ‘The Kashmir Files’ is not only a movie but a twisting story of all those people who had to suffer due to the genocide. He also said that the film will always remain close to his heart and it became more personal when people questioned the intentions of Vivek Agnihotri and all the people involved with the film.

Kher believes this is the start of a big dream, as over the past 32 years many have tried to keep it under the carpet. When the film was released, people even tried to prove that this didn’t happen and certain people tried to demean the genuineness of the film when it was enjoying a spectacular box office run.

According to the ‘Uunchai’ star, getting recognised by the academy is also an acknowledgement of the glory of Indian cinema because ‘The Kashmir Files’ represents not just those people who were thrown out of their homes in Kashmir but also the 1.4 billion people.

Apart from ‘The Kashmir Files’, the other films that have been named in the list of 301 films eligible for Oscar nominations are ‘RRR’, ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’, ‘Kantara’ and ‘Chhello Show’ (‘Last Film Show’).