Vivek Agnihotri, whose film 'The Kashmir Files' is in the middle of controversy triggered by the Israeli filmmaker and jury chairman of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), Nadav Lapid, has slammed the Union Minister for Civil Aviation and Steel, Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, after he discovered that his luggage was marked with an 'X' at the Mumbai airport.
The director took to Twitter and shared his concern with the minister, saying, "Dear @JM_Scindia ji, Please stop this pathetic system of marking bags at Mumbai airport with an 'X' made with chalk."
He then added that how this practice projects India in a bad light globally as fliers from all over the world see their luggage on the conveyor belt marked with an 'X'.
Agnihotri tweeted that this was "very bad etiquette" and showed India as a "primitive and uncivilised country specially when PM @narendramodi is talking about making India a global leader".
Also read | Delhi lawyer files complaint against Nadav Lapid for comments on 'The Kashmir Files'
What 'The Kashmir Files' helmer may not have known is that cross-marking luggage at airports is a worldwide practice because all bags are X-rayed by Customs authorities before they are released into the conveyor belts.
Usually, heavier-than-usual bags are singled out because the authorities may suspect that they have dutiable items that have not been declared by the persons to whom the bag belong.
Genocide denier: 'The Kashmir Files' star Pallavi Joshi calls out Nadav Lapid
'The Kashmir Files' producer and lead actress Pallavi Joshi added to the volley of criticism against Israeli director and screenwriter Nadav Lapid's comments on the Vivek Agnihotri film in his capacity as chairman of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) jury.
In a media statement, Joshi said: "For decades the international community remained silent on the sufferings of the Kashmiri Pandit community. After three decades the Indian film industry finally realised that it needs to tell India's story truthfully and objectively."
Joshi, who played a professor in a university that appeared to be similar to JNU in 'The Kashmir Files', added: "Vivek and I were always aware that there are elements that would not like to see the stark truth on the screen, but it is very unfortunate that a creative platform was used for a political agenda to preserve an old, false and jaded narrative about Kashmir."
Also read | IFFI jury head terms 'The Kashmir Files' as 'vulgar', 'propaganda' film
She concluded by noting: "We are overwhelmed by the way the people of India rose to defend 'The Kashmir Files' against he rude and vulgar statement of a genocide denier." She assured her audience that 'The Kashmir Files' remains "a people's film".
