BJP politicians booking The Kashmir Files shows in bulk across India

Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri’s The Kashmir Files (2022) has been enjoying a remarkable run at the domestic box office.

The film, based on the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the valley in 1990, has earned almost Rs60 crore nett in just five days in cinemas, something unprecedented for a Vivek Agnihotri film as well as for an indie film made on a budget of just Rs14 crore.

But the dream run of the film at the ticket window is not simply a function of how well it has been made or how good the word-of-mouth publicity has been. The wind in the film's sails is being provided by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the country's ruling party. BJP politicians have been making bulk bookings for the film’s shows across India and giving tickets away free to their supporters as well as the public.

A businessman from Mumbai, who has been organizing screenings in the city on behalf of the party, told Cinestaan.com on condition of anonymity, “The BJP has booked tickets for The Kashmir Files in bulk and is organizing free screenings for the public.”

A cinema lover from Mysore in Karnataka, who also refused to go on record, confirmed this. “Today I tried to book the 4:30 pm show at DRC Cinema, but that show itself was missing on BookMyShow," the cine-goer said. "I called the theatre manager and he told me that time slot had been booked by one guy for three days!”

Cinestaan.com called up the theatre and got the same reply. In fact, the three evening shows at the theatre were also booked entirely in advance.

A cine-goer from Kolkata said, “A lot of party members are doing this in Kolkata.” A youngster from Bijapur, also in Karnataka, wrote on Facebook, “Our local BJP MLA [member of the legislative assembly] is sponsoring tickets for the 3pm show from 21 to 28 March.”

The manager of a single-screen theatre in Mumbai, speaking on condition that his name would not be used, said, “A lot of bulk bookings have happened for this film ever since it was released.”

Bharath Shetty, a BJP legislator from Mangaluru in Karnataka, booked 150 tickets for a show today at Cineplex Bharath Cinemas and is planning to book more shows next week.

Speaking to The Times of India newspaper, he said, “I will watch the movie along with 150 party workers on Wednesday. I have taken permission from the speaker to skip the assembly session and visit Mangaluru to watch the movie. Many party workers have been requesting me to arrange for more shows. Hence, I will book more shows from Monday, based on demand from party workers.”

Some BJP leaders have been openly supporting The Kashmir Files, using the film to promote fear and a communal divide. Suvendu Adhikari, leader of the opposition in the West Bengal legislative assembly and MLA from Nandigram, shared pictures of a large number of party members going to watch The Kashmir Files on Twitter and urged Hindus in the state to watch the film.

Adhikari wrote, “I would recommend the Bengali Hindus to find time and watch this film. This film is a warning because the worsening situation in WB may force someone to make The Bengal Files [a] couple of decades later. Best wishes to Anupam Kherji and Mithun Chakrabortyji from BJP Bengal MLAs.”

Just yesterday, prime minister Narendra Modi himself praised The Kashmir Files in his speech and urged the people to watch it, something that doesn't happen very often.

The Kashmir Files stars Anupam Kher, Mithun Chakraborty, Darshan Kumaar, Chinmay Mandlekar, Pallavi Joshi and Bhasha Sumbli.