Silenced Histories on Screen: A Cinematic Study of Displacement Narratives of Kashmiri Pandits

Abstract

The forced displacement of Kashmiri Pandits in the late 1980s and early 1990s remains one of the most under-acknowledged injustices in modern Indian history. Confronted with targeted killings, threats, and destruction of property, the community endured not only physical violence but also the erasure of identity, cultural belonging, and collective memory. Families faced the indignity of refugee camps, economic dislocation, and loss of educational opportunities, while women experienced heightened vulnerability and trauma. Decades later, these struggles persist through generational displacement and fractured cultural continuity. Yet, despite its magnitude, this tragedy has remained inadequately represented in mainstream scholarship and cultural discourse. This research proposes to examine the injustices faced by Kashmiri Pandits through the lens of film studies, focusing on The Kashmir Files (2022) and Shikara (2020). These films, though differing in narrative strategies and aesthetics, both serve as cultural texts that bring suppressed voices and contested memories to the forefront. The Kashmir Files adopts a direct, confrontational style to foreground silenced atrocities, also presents an unflinching portrayal of mass violence and silenced suffering, while Shikara uses intimate storytelling, personal memory, love to depict exile and resilience. By analyzing these cinematic portrayals, this study aims to investigate how film functions as a counter-archive of violence, identity, and suppressed history. The research not only addresses a critical gap in the academic exploration of Kashmiri Pandits’ struggles but also highlights cinema’s role in shaping memory, identity politics, and discourses of reconciliation. Ultimately, it underscores the importance of film in giving voice to marginalized struggles and framing demands for justice.