We watched this movie just after we returned from Ayodhya and a day after the Red Fort blasts. Don’t know how to explain its impact, but I will make an attempt.
Let me start with the scene that has stayed with me since Nov 11th, Gulnaar Sayeed (actor- Bhasha Sumbli) opens her cupboard as always and hears a mobile ringing behind the wall where the cupboard is placed. She pushes aside the cupboard and breaks the flimsy wooden wall to look inside and both Gulnaar and the viewers are shown a puja room. The movie for me was summed up in this scene. This is what happened in Kashmir… everything else is a cover-up.
Thousands of puja rooms were sealed off and the houses they were in were forcibly taken away from the owners. Kashmiri Pandits were made refugees in their own land and all of India just stood mutely – allowing the carnage to happen.
Krishnan and I were deeply disturbed when we watched The Kashmir Files movie, but Baramulla hit deeper.
Baramulla – Movie Review
When we read the caption on Netflix calling Baramulla as a horror, mystery, thriller movie we were a little skeptical of watching it, despite the raving reviews we had read.
I am glad we didn’t let that description stop us from watching the movie. This blogpost is to ensure that people like us out there who don’t like horror and thriller movies don’t miss out on watching Baramulla.
The movie is set in the year 2016 and starts with a missing child. Soon many other children go missing and all you hear is some “bhaijaan” giving instructions from across the border (read Terroristan aka Pakistan). DSP Ridwaan (actor – Manav Kaul) gets posted to Baramulla and comes there along with his family. The family is given a huge bungalow to live in with an old and mute caretaker Iqbal.
Some things are felt not shown – the police is disliked, terrorists have become a part of the community, social media is used to lure children, the radicalisation … all are felt and hang heavy in the air, but no direct scenes showing any of it. Just a couple of scenes where stone pelting is shown and the obvious dislike on some faces.
As Ridwaan sets out to solve the missing children’s case, his own daughter goes missing. That’s when Gulnaar, his wife finds all kinds of mysteries in the bungalow.
Yes, there are elements of horror and supernatural mystery in the movie, but it conveys the true story of the Pandit exodus and genocide using these elements. There is nothing pleasant about being thrown out of your home or fathers and mothers getting beheaded. There is nothing nice about your neighbour turning out to be a terrorist baying for your blood.
History has to be recorded as it happened factually …. whitewashing history or soft pedalling the truth doesn’t help.
Not sharing the entire plot because everyone must watch the movie.
Sharing a review on X about the last scene … it tells you a lot more about what happened in Kashmir during the 90’s.
Do repeat after Arshia dobaar ne, dobaar ne, never again, never again.
Har Har Mahadev !
Thank you for posting. I initially thought it to be a movie about child abuse & paranormal horror, neither of which motivated me to watch. However I have been reading such great reviews, and after your post, I am determined to watch it.
I never knew about actor Sanjay Suri’s tragic past !!! What it must have taken for him to put together his life back again after losing his father to a beheading !!!
We cannot continue to be uncomfortable with the hard truths of our Kashmiri Pandits in order to pander to the false sentiments of a specific community. We have to speak openly about it with courage. I did not expect anything otherwise from the maker of Uri ! Bravo 👏👏👏
Heart goes to the people who have suffered the trauma. Salute to their will power.
True Muthuraman Sir. It’s unimaginable trauma 😔