The Jammu and Kashmir High Court on Friday dismissed public interest litigation seeking a ban on the release of the movie, "Shikara", which tells the tale of mass exodus of Kashmiri Hindus, citing freedom of speech.
The complainants had sought a review of the film and changes to what they claimed were objectionable scenes that blamed the entire Kashmiri population for the mass migration of Hindus, commonly known as Kashmiri Pandits, from the valley at the end of 1989 and in early 1990.
The trailer of Vidhu Vinod Chopra's directorial film had received both praise and appreciation from critics while grabbing media attention for taking on a sensitive topic.
In 1990, a mass migration of Hindus fromthe Indian-administered and Muslim majority Kashmir took place after a violent armed insurgency erupted in the Valley. Over 62,000 families are registered as Kashmiri refugees, including Kashmiri Pandits and some Sikh and Muslim families, according to government data.
Despite the controversies, the movie was released on Friday.
Actor Amir Khan was left impressed by the film and wished good luck to the filmmaker for his latest project, saying that it was a story that needed to be told.
Wishing you all the very best Vinod!
— Aamir Khan (@aamir_khan) February 7, 2020
Shikara is a film about one of the most tragic events in our recent history. A story that needs to be told. https://t.co/IjssVfrwus
The film "Shikara", which gets its name from houseboats native to Kashmir, is a love story set against the backdrop of the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley 30 years ago after a violent insurgency erupted in the region.
