‘The Kashmir Files is garbage’: Director Saeed Mirza says ‘the point is not to take sides, it is to be human’

Speaking about The Kashmir Files, Saeed Mirza said, “For me, The Kashmir Files is garbage. Is the Kashmiri Pandit issue garbage? No, it’s not. It’s real. Is it just Kashmiri Hindus? No. Muslims, too, are caught in an incredibly vulgar trap of the machinations of intelligence agencies, nations with so-called national interests, and paid guys from across the border, who continue to create havoc. The point is not to take sides. Be human and try to understand.”

He also detailed in the same discussion that Shah had once apologised to Mirza for the Gujarat riots of 2002, adding, “He apologised to me about the Gujarat riots. He said, I’m a Hindu so somebody needs to be accountable. I know nobody will be. I said within the 21st century you are becoming a Hindu and me, a Muslim? He said that’s what it is. You’re denying it, this is the truth of my country.”

The filmmaker also spoke about patriotism being used as a money-making device, and that everyone does it, including many countries around the globe. On the work front, Saeed Mirza last wrote the short film Karma Cafe, which came out in 2018.