Just last month we observed the 30th anniversary of the exodus of more than 4,00,000 Kashmiri Pandits from their Home, Kashmir. The real story needed to be told to the Nation, to the World. But here’s Vidhu Vinod Chopra disappointing you from the first scene itself, i.e. the disclaimer of the movie that announced the movie is a Fictionalized Account of real events and when you watch it, you’ll believe it that this is indeed a Heavily Fictionalized Account if not Pure Fiction.

Movie Review Shikara

When I first heard about the movie I wanted to see what I couldn’t witness in person, not some Bollywood Style Love Story. Movie Review Shikara – The story is about a Kashmiri Pandit Couple, Shiv Kumar Dhar(Aadil Khan) and Shanti(Sadia), about how they fell in love, married and built a house named Shikara. The event that led to the horrific event of the Exodus of Kashmiri Pandits begins when the father of Shiv’s Best friend(a muslim) died while doing a Political Rally. A year after the event Kashmiri Pandits begin to see their names in the “Hitlist”. Then the brainwashed youth starts rioting that made Kashmiri Pandits leave their homes. Then there are some scenes of Refugee Camps that do induce emotions in you. The movie wanders from its already lost plot like there’s an out of context scene related to the Ram Janam Bhoomi Movement. Some other scenes of the refugee camps conclude the first half of the movie. The second half is nothing about the Kashmiri Pandits and their plight but only the Love Story of Shiv Kumar Dhar and Shanti, who dies of Brain Tumour in the end. The film is heavily fictionalised and far from reality. The strike on Kashmiri Pandits begins out of nowhere without any context. The inside story of the strike is not shown. The slogans that Kashmiri Pandits(from actual people accounts) heard and the extreme hatred they felt is nowhere shown in the movie. There’s little to no bloodshed on screen.

हिंदी में पढ़ें

As far as the movie is concerned as a Fiction, the movie is well shot, has beautiful Kashmiri locations. The refugee camps and the times are recreated according to the real events timeline. The Kashmiri culture is presented very well in the first half of the movie. The movie is very well communally balanced. The lead actors, actually being from Kashmir, excelled at the portrayal of the characters. A R Rahman and Qutub-E-Kripa did a commendable job with the background score of the movie that goes well with the events. The songs are very well placed and the lyrics are good. Vidhu Vinod Chopra has done a very good job as a director of the movie but lets you down when it came to writing as this is not the Untold Story of Kashmiri Pandits but a fictionalized account of what had happened. Yes, the movie leaves you thinking with what it has shown. At the end of the movie you are left with dark emotions and speechless, but still, it’s not the complete story.

Movie Review Shikara : Watch Movie Trailer

Movie Review Shikara – If you want to see a movie with good scenery, a turmoil of emotions, a glimpse of Kashmiri Culture and the older times then Shikara is for you. All said Shikara, being a good fictional movie, is not the Untold Story of Kashmiri Pandits.