Baramulla (Varaha Moola) — Spine chilling and heart wrenching

Image credit: https://swarajyamag.com/culture/ghosts-of-baramulla-original-sin-and-the-horror-of-denial

Usually, when an audience enjoys a movie, they applaud or chant slogans. However, after The Kashmir Files ended, I looked at my brother-in-law seated beside me. We exchanged a blank look. No words were spoken. I looked around; everyone was transfixed in their seats.

Slowly, the audience rose and exited without uttering a word. There was no usual chitchat, gossip, or banter. Everyone moved out in a disciplined manner, lost in thought. Some eyes held tears; others betrayed anger.

But the vast majority were shell-shocked — as if they had just visited a crematorium. The genocide of Kashmiri Pandits was, after all, the cremation of Kashmiri civilization. And this is exactly how an entire nation watched the burning pyres of Kashmiri Hindus: in stunned silence.

If The Kashmir Files left you speechless, Baramulla takes this eerie silence to the next level. Before moving further, an ode to the filmmakers:

तालियों की गड़गड़ाहट से बड़ी निशब्दता की गूँज किसी भी कलाकार की महानता को दर्शाती है।

Victimhood — the sword of the tyrant

A tyrant wields the sword of perpetual victimhood. He finds any excuse in his past, theology, mythology, or epistemology to unleash tyranny. A case in point is the radical element within the valley. They play the perpetual victim of a “fascist” state for not making them feel special enough — despite Article 370 existing for seven decades, despite the ethnic cleansing of native Kashmiri Hindus, and despite receiving special financial packages for years. Yet, we find doctors from the valley who want to take the lives of the very taxpayers who funded them. Even a snake would show more gratitude.

In that context, isn’t it natural for a troubled, bruised soul to seek revenge? Shouldn’t the Pandits seek retribution and haunt every living Kashmiri? Yet, only an enlightened soul, steeped in Dharma, would choose the path of the Sapru family, even in a disembodied state. A vengeful soul becomes a thief to punish a thief; an enlightened soul identifies the root of evil in society and addresses it. Mansi Sapru, though disembodied, does not seek revenge against radicals. She strives to save the younger generation from radicalization.

Baramulla shows how Kashmiri Pandits, despite facing genocide, still wish well for Kashmir. There is not an iota of vengefulness — only a longing to return and live in the land of Sharada and Shankaracharya.

Baramulla forces us to uncover layers of politics, propaganda, and polarization to find Shiva, the essence of Kashmir, just as Gulnar finds the Shivalinga hidden behind the closet.

While The Kashmir Files exposes the ugly face of radicalization, Baramulla allows you to feel the grace of Kashmiri Pandits, in both life and death.