There’s a lot more behind Aamir Khan’s unexpected support for ‘The Kashmir Files’

Bollywood actor Aamir Khan has lavished praise on ‘The Kashmir Files.’ Speaking at a press conference, he said, “Every Indian should watch the film made on this subject (Kashmiri Pandit genocide).”

Now, there are several angles behind the latest comments. Let’s explore them.

Aamir Khan speaks about Kashmir Files

Speaking at a press conference for SS Rajamouli’s upcoming film RRR in Delhi, the actor said he would definitely watch Kashmir Files.

The actor said, “Ji zaroor dekhunga main. Wo ek history ka aisa hissa hai, humara dil dukta hai usme. Jo Kashmiri Pandits ke sath hua hain, wo yakeenan bahut hi dukh ki baat hai, aur aise film jo bani hain us topic pe, wo yakeenan har Hindustani ko dekhna chaiye aur har Hindustani ko yaad karna chahiye ki ek insan hai, jab us par atyachar hua to kya beet ti hai. (I will definitely watch the film. It is a part of our history which is heartbreaking. What happened with the Kashmiri Pandits is really very sad. Every Indian should watch the film made on this subject and should recall how it feels when a person goes through such trauma).”

He added, “This film has touched the emotions of all people who believe in humanity and that’s what is wonderful. I will definitely watch the film and I am so happy to see that the film is successful. I feel this is the time in India which was sad, people should look at carefully and remember.”

Content is king

Now, the biggest message coming from support for Kashmir Files from Aamir Khan and many other big names in Bollywood is loud and clear- content is king.

Read more: Content is King: The Kashmir Files proves it

Over the past several decades, we have seen three factors dominate Indian cinema- entertainment or what is more commonly called cinematic masala, star casts and extravagant film sets.

But the Indian audience is evolving now. We saw how Pushpa performed really well and ’83 failed to live up to its expectations on the box office even though ’83 actually had a reasonably interesting theme.

Currently, Kashmir Files is dominating the box office. In fact, Akshay Kumar-starrer Bachchhan Paandey is playing second fiddle to Kashmir Files. Now, Akshay Kumar is a huge brand in Bollywood. Therefore, content-oriented movies are becoming a huge threat to flicks that ride on the popularity of big stars.

At this juncture, everyone in the film industry, therefore, wants to reach out to an evolved audience and communicate that they also support such high-quality content.

Changing narratives

Another fact about Kashmir Files is that it is a huge disruption in the popular narrative.

Read More: The Kashmir Files is the goriest, yet the most truthful account of the Kashmiri Hindu massacre

Till now, a particular kind of narrative was visible in popular culture when it came to Kashmir. It was dominated by the left-liberal ecosystem that had been driving its own kind of propaganda on the subject.

Therefore, the movies that we saw seemed to actively avoid any reference to Kashmiri Pandits. Therefore, covering the subject in great depth was always a far cry.

Yet, the audience has simply loved Kashmir Files. Talking about the Kashmiri Pandit genocide and condemning terrorism in the Union Territory has become the new norm. This is why you see many big names from the film industry talk about Kashmir Files and even lavish praise on the movie.