~ The grand trailer launch event happened in the heart of India – Srinagar in Kashmir ~
National, 20th July 2023: ZEE5, India’s largest homegrown OTT platform and a multilingual storyteller, released the trailer of its next original series ‘The Kashmir Files Unreported’ in the heart of Srinagar, Kashmir today.
After the blockbuster success of the critically acclaimed film The Kashmir Files, national award-winning filmmaker Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri promises the sequel to be far more eye-opening and spine-chilling. Produced by Vivek Agnihotri and Pallavi Joshi’s, IamBuddha Entertainment and Media LLP, the 7-part series will premiere on ZEE5 soon.
Woven together through real life anecdotes, survivor testimonies and archived footages, The Kashmir Files Unreported delves into the historical, ethnical, and geopolitical details, encapsulating the events, mistakes, crimes and circumstances that led to the massacre and mass exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the valley in the 1990s. It goes on to portray the state of affairs which led to the abrogation of Article 370 and its repercussions on Kashmir today.
As seen in the trailer, the narrative is captured via conversations with historians, experts, real life victims and their families including experts like Dr. Meenakshi Jain who was conferred with the Padma Shri award in 2020 for her work in the field of literature and education; Rakesh K Kaul who is the author of bestsellers ‘The Last Queen of Kashmir’ and ‘Dawn: The Warrior Princess of Kashmir’; Shesh Paul Vaid – the former Director General of Police of J&K; Manoj Raghuvanshi – ex TV journalist and the first journalist to do a lead story on terrorism erupting in Kashmir in July 1989; Dr. Tej Tikoo – Retired Colonel and veteran of 1971 Indo-Pak war and the author of ‘Kashmir: Its Aborigines and their Exodus’ among others.
While The Kashmir Files was a 3-hour long movie which shook the nation, yet it was only the tip of the iceberg. This series is far more heart-wrenching, eye-opening and spine-chilling as it unravels the unreported realities, facts and the truth behind the massacre and the exodus of the Kashmiri Pandits straight from the horses’ mouth. It also maps the centuries old journey of Kashmir, hailed as the paradise on earth, its significance to India, its people and culture and their evolution from being a melting pot of civilization and knowledge, to being repeatedly attacked, radicalized and systemically reduced to a warzone like condition of today.
Manish Kalra, Chief Business Officer, ZEE5 India said, “The Kashmir Files received a tremendous response from our audience due to the real and relatable stories of the Kashmiri Pandits it portrayed. In the new series ‘The Kashmir Files Unreported’, Vivek Agnihotri has meticulously delved into the history, culture and geo-political complexities of the region through the lens of academicians, researchers, historians and real-life experiences of the people of Kashmir. With the growing popularity of real stories which bring out the hidden truths of our society, we are working with creators with an aim to enrich our library with riveting tales with compelling storytelling for our audiences on ZEE5.”
Nimisha Pandey, Chief Content Officer – Hindi Originals, ZEE5 said, “This is our second docu-series after Break Point. This format offers a unique opportunity where the audience gets to experience stories firsthand. In ‘Kashmir Files: Unreported’, audience will get to hear the spine-chilling stories of Kashmiri Pandits from the very people who have lived through the tragedy. We hope the show resonates with people the way Kashmir Files did. Vivek and Pallavi have been working on this for years and we are happy to present it to our viewers.”
Director-Producer Vivek Agnihotri said, “The genocide of Kashmir is a blot not only on India but on humanity. It is considered to be the biggest hidden tragedy of modern times. It was very important for us to tell this story honestly. So far, all the movies, literature and in media, what has been reported is contemporary. After 32 years when we made The Kashmir Files based on 4 years of extensive research, it opened people’s eyes. But there were polarizing views on the film – some felt that the movie portrayed only 10% of the reality and some felt that The Kashmir Files was a propaganda film.
Therefore, it was important for us to open all the research and interviews we did in its purest and rawest form for people to understand that the truth is difficult to handle. I can guarantee that ‘The Kashmir Files Unreported’ will shatter your heart but the intention is so that we learn from history, and we develop a temperament of zero tolerance for terrorism and we stand up for humanity and our own people”.
Producer Pallavi Joshi said, “Our movie ‘The Kashmir Files’ was made after extensive research of 4 years. The deep pain and agony that the Kashmiri Pundit community went through when they shared it with us, it was very difficult for us to listen to their horror stories not just because we were so impacted by the grief and the pain they have gone through but also because we started feeling very small, realising that this story not made known to us by the government, administration, media and others. When we made The Kashmir Files, it was a 3-hour long film, yet it was only the tip of the iceberg. And when a section of the society started saying that this is untrue and a propaganda film, we realised that the truth in its true and naked form needs to come out in front of the people.
So here we are presenting The Kashmir Files Unreported which shows you the extensive research we have gone through, and you can hear the stories of unimaginable horror and terror that these pundits have gone through, from the horses’ mouth. So, it’s a series that every Indian should watch for every Indian needs to know what Kashmir means to India and how it is an intrinsic part of our country and will continue to remain so”.
Watch the trailer now of ‘The Kashmir Files Unreported’
