The Kashmir Files is a 2022 Indian Hindi-language drama film written and directed by Vivek Agnihotri. The film presents a fictional storyline centered around an exodus of Kashmiri Hindus in the disputed region of Kashmir. It depicts the early 1990s exodus to be a genocide, a notion that is widely considered inaccurate and associated with conspiracy theories.
The Kashmir Files stars Mithun Chakraborty, Anupam Kher, Darshan Kumar, and Pallavi Joshi. The plot follows a Kashmiri Hindu college student. Displaced in the exodus as a child after his family was killed, he is raised by a schoolteacher who had witnessed the deaths, but shielded him from the knowledge of their circumstances. After his adoptive father's death, the student, who had come to believe at college that the exodus was benign, becomes driven to uncover the facts of his family's deaths. The plot alternates between the student's quest in the present time, 2020, and his adoptive father's travails of thirty years before.
The film was released in theatres on 11 March 2022. It has been a commercial success, seemingly benefitting from promotion by India's ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party. The critical reception have been mixed, with the cinematography and the acting thought to be compelling, but the storyline attracting 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.Theatres across India have witnessed hate speech against Muslims, including incitement to violence. As of 10 April 2022, the movie, which cost approximately ₹15 crore (US$2.0 million) to make, had grossed ₹339.49 crore (US$45 million) worldwide, making it the highest grossing Hindi film of 2022.
