Envoy slams IFFI jury head, Kashmir Files row escalates

Israeli ambassador Naor Gilon on Tuesday lashed out at Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid, the head of the jury at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), for describing The Kashmir Files as “vulgar” and “propaganda”, and urged him to apologise to his hosts in India.

Lapid triggered a controversy on Monday by saying that the film, based on the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits during an upsurge in militancy in the Kashmir Valley in the 1990s, was “inappropriate for an artistic, competitive section of such a prestigious film festival”, indicating that it was not up to the standard of the other 14 films in the competitive section.

The Kashmir Files... felt like a propaganda, vulgar movie, inappropriate for such a film festival NADAV LAPID, Head of jury, IFFI

I feel ashamed and want to apologise to our hosts for the bad manner in which we repaid them for generosity

NAOR GILON,

Israeli ambassador

The film, directed by Vivek Agnihotri and starring Anupam Kher, Mithun Chakraborty and Pallavi Joshi, was featured in the Panorama section of IFFI.

Israel’s consul general in Mumbai, Kobbi Shoshani, addressed the media along with Kher and described Lapid’s comments as “big mistake”.

Kher called Lapid a “person who himself is vulgar and an opportunist”.