Naseeruddin Shah Slams The Kerala Story & Gadar 2 For Allegedly Promoting Jingoism: “It’s Disturbing That Films Like Kashmir Files Are So Massively Popular”
Naseeruddin Shah says he is concerned with the popularity of jingoistic films like Gadar 2, The Kerala Story & The Kashmir Files. Read on!
Naseeruddin Shah Slams The Popularity Of Gadar 2, The Kerala Story & The Kashmir Files(Photo Credit –Imdb)
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Naseeruddin Shah has been an actor who has always questioned outrightly when filmmaking has taken a different route to success. The actor has often been critised for his controversial statements on politics and cinema blending. He has even been attacked at times for his views on the government and society at large. Now the actor has again expressed his displeasure over films like The Kashmir Files, The Kerala Story and Gadar 2, making a mark at the box office.
Calling it dangerous, Naseer Sahab commented on how the filmmaking is taking a different route to success which is rather concerning owing to the truth being not portrayed in honesty. He also mentioned the filmmakers trying to make a mark and present facts but getting ignored in totality.
Naseeruddin Shah, sat down with Free Press Journal for a heartfelt where he spoke at length about how the current stream of filmmaking is problematic. The actor said, “Now the more jingoist you are the more popular you become, because this is what has been ruling this country. It’s not enough to love your country but beat drums about it and you have to create imaginary enemies. What these people don’t realise is that what they are doing is very harmful.”
The ZNMD actor further compared these films to another stream of filmmakers and said, “In fact, films like Kerala Story and Gadar 2, I haven’t seen them but I know what they are about, it’s disturbing that films like Kashmir Files are so massively popular whereas films made by Sudhir Mishra, Anubhav Sinha, and Hansal Mehta, who are trying to portray the truth of their times don’t get seen.”
Naseeruddin Shah even heartbreakingly admitted that these filmmakers should not lose hope. He said, “But it’s important that these filmmakers don’t lose heart and continue telling stories. They will be responsible for posterity. Hundred years later people will see Bheed and they will also see Gadar 2 and see which one portrays the truth of our times because film is the only medium which could do that.”
“It’s hard to resort to abstraction and capture life as it is. So regressive is a pretty mild word for what’s going on, it’s frightening where filmmakers are being coopted into making films which praise all the wrong things and run down other communities for no reason at all. It’s a dangerous trend,” said Shah pointing out that Gadar 2 and other films like The Kashmir Files and The Kerala Story are regressive.
For the unversed, The Kashmir Files starring Anupam Kher, The Kerala Story starring Adah Sharma, and Gadar 2 starring Sunny Deol have all been called ‘nationalistic’ films with all of them turning into Box Office marvels, performing in a surprising way proving that the audience loved the films despite being controversial.
