The film is based on the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits in the early 1990s necessitated by insurgency and terrorism. Agnihotri has penned the script with Saurabh M Pandey.
Anupam Kher, Darshan Kumar, Mithun Chakraborty and Pallavi Joshi play major roles.
Trade analyst Taran Adarsh shared the film’s figures on his Twitter handle. He wrote, “#TheKashmirFiles is SENSATIONAL, biz more than doubles on Day 2… Registers 139.44% growth, HIGHEST EVER GROWTH [Day 2] since 2020… East, West, North, South, #BO is on 🔥🔥🔥… This film is UNSTOPPABLE… Fri 3.55 cr, Sat 8.50 cr. Total: ₹ 12.05 cr. #India biz… FANTASTIC!”
Agnihotri’s peer in the film industry Hansal Mehta tweeted in support of Agnihotri’s success.
“Congratulations @vivekagnihotri for #TheKashmirFiles. You have succeeded outside the system, on your own terms. Ideologically or otherwise I might disagree with your views and films but as a colleague I must commend you,” wrote Mehta, who is behind such acclaimed films like Aligarh and Omerta.
The Indian Express film critic Shubra Gupta gave the film 1.5 stars and wrote, “With all its propagandist verve, and cementing the current dispensation’s favoured discourse, it does manage to tap into the grief of the displaced Pandits. What stays with us are the flashes of genuine pain that envelopes Pushkar Nath (Anupam Kher in a credible turn, even if some of his portions are overwrought), damaged and suffering from dementia, but who has never forgotten his beloved Habba Kadal. He is never able to go home again.”