Vidhu Vinod Chopra: Only thing to hate is hate

Filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra is still waiting to hear "we are sorry" from the people of the nation for not doing anything after the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits in 1990, and wants people to remember that "the only thing to hate is hate".

To mark the 30th anniversary of the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley, Vidhu Vinod held a special screening of his upcoming movie 'Shikara: The Untold Story Of Kashmiri Pandits' for Kashmiri Pandits on Sunday.

The special screening of about 30 minutes was attended by over 30 Kashmiri Pandit refugees from Jagti migrant camp in Jammu, out of which some have even worked on the film. "This is the first time I saw the film on the big screen.

So many Muslim brothers worked on the film with us. They knew that this film was about the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits, and still they worked with us in Kashmir.

This is the Kashmir we know, and ek din yeh Kashmir wapis ayega (One day that spirit of Kashmir will come back). We will go back and live the way we used to. This is my hope," Vidhu Vinod said.

"It has been 30 years and nothing has been done yet. Koi shor nahi macha (There was no clamour about this)," the director said, referring to a dialogue from the film's clip wherein one person mentions that he is confident that there will be "shor" in the Parliament about the exodus.

"My hope is that ab toh shor macha do," he added. "I want people to go online and just write 'Sorry to all the Kashmiri Pandits' as we didn't do anything.

Sorry to all of you who continue to live in refugee camps even after 30 years of the exodus. This is my only hope. We are still waiting to hear awe are sorry, Kashmiri Pandits'," said an emotional Vidhu Vinod.

"The only thing to hate is hate. I hope this message goes out all around the country," he added.

'Shikara: The Untold Story Of Kashmiri Pandits' is touted as a "story of resilience in the face of insurmountable odds.

It's also the story of a love that remains unextinguished through 30 years of exile. A timeless love story in the worst of times".