Screenwriter and director Saeed Akhtar Mirza has given Indian cinema some memorable gems, including the likes of ‘Naseem’ and ‘Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyoon Aata Hai’. He is also the main man behind notable TV serials like ‘Nukkad’ and ‘Intezaar’.
In a recent conversation with The Indian Express, the artiste, who has penned the memoir of late director Kundan Shah, opened up about today’s cinema, and gave his opinion on the controversial but box office success Vivek Agnihotri directorial ‘The Kashmir Files’. The film was in the eye of the storm after IFFI jury head Nadav Lapid called the feature ‘vulgar’ and a ‘propaganda’ movie.
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 apologized to Mirza for the Gujarat riots of 2002, adding, “He apologized 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.
