Anupam Kher says Arvind Kejriwal worse than ‘anpadh, gawaanr’

Anupam Kher has condemned Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s “insensitive” jibe at The Kashmir Files where the actor had one of the prime roles. As the film sparked off a political war, with leftists calling it a propaganda movie, Kejriwal had marked his solidarity with the comrades by mocking the BJP leaders for allegedly promoting the movie.

Days after, Kher has called Kejriwal’s comments on The Kashmir Files “shameful”. In a recent interview with Times Now, Kher attacked Kejriwal for being “insensitive” and questioned him for dragging the movie into a political affair.

“After Kejriwal’s statement, I think every true Indian should go and watch this film in the theatre. The only way you can give a resounding response to his insensitivity is by collecting more money and connecting with more people from Kashmir… He was crude, insensitive and he didn’t think about the lakhs of Kashmir Hindus who were thrown out of their own homes, the women raped and people murdered. The people behind him were laughing and it was shameless. That was also happening in the state assembly… If he wants to have a political problem with the Prime Minister or the BJP, he should have just spoken about that. But to bring in Kashmir Files which the people are accepting, feeling guilty, and saying ‘We didn’t know this happened to us’…to say that it is a propaganda film or it is a lie… I think it was shameful,” Kher said.

Kher questioned Kejriwal for not making The Kashmir Files tax-free in the national capital. He also called the chief minister’s speech in the assembly a ‘stand-up comedy’ and added that an educated person should not have talked like this.

“He has not seen the film. It’s not that he hasn’t made films tax-free. Recently, he made 83 tax-free. He does believe that a film that is good should be made. But this film has gone beyond tax-free, it’s a movement. To rub salts on wounds of people who have suffered for the last 32 years is unbecoming of a chief minister. He was playing to the gallery, he was trying to do a stand-up comedian’s job over there… He should not come across as a caricature, he is a real person, he is an educated person, he is an IRS officer. Ek anpadh gawaanr aadmi bhi aisi baat nahi karta hai (Even an uneducated person does not talk like this). It was not done,” Kher added.

Earlier, Kher had also tweeted after Kejriwal’s remark where-in he urged fans to watch the movie in theatres. “Ab to doston #TheKashmirFiles cinema hall men hi jaake dekhna. Aap logon ne 32 saal baad #KashmiriHindus ke dukh ko jaana hai. Unke saath huye atyachar ko samjha hai. Unke saath sahanubhooti dikhai hai. Lekin jo log is tragedy ka mazaak uda rahe hain, kripya unko apni taakat ka ehsaas karayein. #Shame (Now friends, watch The Kashmir Files only in theatres. You have become aware of the pain of Kashmiri Hindus after 32 years. You have felt the torture they went through. You have expressed sympathy for them. But those who are making fun of this tragedy, please make them feel your power. #Shame),” he had written.

To the uninitiated, The Kashmir Files depicts the story of the exodus of the Kashmiri Pandits. It is written and directed by Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri. It stars Kher, Mithun Chakraborty, Darshan Kumaar, Pallavi Joshi, and Chinmay Mandlekar in key roles.