The Kashmir Files

Drama Historical

Hindi

March 11, 2022

2hr 50min

Status: released

Trailer, Teaser & Videos

Poster & Photos

Where to Watch The Kashmir Files (Stream)

Zee5

The Kashmir Files presents a fictional storyline centered around the 1990 exodus of Kashmiri Hindus from Indian-administered Kashmir. It depicts the exodus and the events leading up to it as a genocide, a framing considered inaccurate by scholars. The film claims that such facts were suppressed by a conspiracy of silence.
On 14 August 2019, Agnihotri announced the film with its first look poster with an intent to release it on 15 August 2020, coinciding with India’s Independence Day.
Agnihotri touted the film to be the second installment of his trilogy of “untold stories of independent India”, which includes the films The Tashkent Files (2019) and The Delhi Files. As a part of the production, Agnihotri claimed to have interviewed more than 700 emigrants from the exodus and recorded their stories over a period of two years.
Actor Anupam Kher joined the cast as the lead actor of the film in December 2019.
The first schedule of the film, supposed to take place in March 2020, was called off due the COVID-19 pandemic in India, and was started later the same year in December in Mussoorie.
The entire film was shot in 30 days, largely in Mussoorie and Dehradun, along with a week-long shooting schedule in Kashmir, including at Dal Lake.
Yograj Singh was removed before the production started in December 2020 for his speeches at the 2020–2021 Indian farmers’ protest, and Puneet Issar was brought in as the replacement. A line producer, Sarahna died during the production by suicide. The production was wrapped up by 16 January 2021.
The film was released in theatres on 11 March 2022. It was initially released in over 630 screens in India on 11 March 2022 and was later increased to 4,000 screens. The film was re-released on 19 January 2023.
The Kashmir Files received mixed reviews upon release, with praise directed to its cinematography and the performances of the ensemble cast; however, its storyline attracted criticism for attempting to recast established history and propagating Islamophobia. Supporters have praised the film for showing what they say is an overlooked aspect of Kashmir’s history
Made on a production budget of approximately ₹15 crore (US$1.9 million) to ₹25 crore (US$3.1 million) the film grossed ₹340.92 crore (US$43 million) worldwide, becoming the third highest-grossing Hindi film of 2022.
At the 69th National Film Awards, The Kashmir Files won 2 awards – Best Feature Film on National Integration and Best Supporting Actress (Joshi). At the 68th Filmfare Awards, the film received 7 nominations, including Best Film, Best Director (Agnihotri), Best Actor (Kher) and Best Supporting Actor (Kumar and Chakraborty).
The film was premiered for worldwide streaming on ZEE5 from 13 May 2022, in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Indian Sign Language. With this film, ZEE5 became the first OTT platform to release a commercial Bollywood film with an interpretation in the Indian Sign Language. The film also recorded the highest number of views for ZEE5 during its opening weekend and the first week at more than 6 million and 9 million views respectively.