Kannada actor Prakash Belawadi apologises for his silence on plight of Kashmiri Pandits

By IANS

BENGALURU; Veteran Kannada actor Prakash Belawadi, who is part of the much-awaited movie ‘The Kashmir Files’, has apologised for his silence on the plight of Kashmiri Pandits.

He has appreciated writer-director Vivek Agnihotri for his role in the film which was released on Friday and stated that despite being a journalist in 1990s during the mass exodus of Kashmiri Pandits, he chose to be indifferent to the fate meted out to them. Belawadi has put out a video in this regard and appealed to people to watch the movie.

“I am privileged to be part of ‘Kashmir Files’. When I was sent the script for reading by Vivek Agnihotri, I was shocked because until then I did not have details of the horrors and exodus of Kashmiri pandits from the state of Jammu and Kashmir in 1990s,” he said.

Expressing his guilt for keeping silent on the issue, he said: “I feel mortified, I also feel guilty as I was a journalist at that time and prided myself as someone equipped with the contemporary events, but I see it was not the case. I feel it’s correct for me to apologise to the community for being a part of this indifference for a long period.”

“I want to congratulate and express my gratitude to Vivek Agnihotri for the research on the subject and having the courage and commitment to bring this story to the world. I urge every Indian to watch this film to know what happened in our own backyard. We must say that they have right to justice and the land rightly belongs to them,” he stated.

He also thanked his friend and fellow journalist R.K. Mattu for urging him to put out the video. “He has been one of the leaders in bringing justice and reconciliation for the community of Kashmiri Pandits of Karnataka. Please watch the film and send your reactions and tell your friends and family to watch it,” Belawadi stated.