Singapore has banned the Bollywood movie ‘The Kashmir Files’, assessing it to be “beyond” the city-state’s film classification guidelines. According to reports, the Singaporean authorities refused the classification of the Hindi-language film for “its provocative and one-sided portrayal of Muslims and the depictions of Hindus being persecuted in the ongoing conflict in Kashmir”.
‘The Kashmir Files’, being screened in India since March to mixed reviews, is based on the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Muslim-majority Valley in the 1990s due to terrorism.
A joint statement was issued in Singapore by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
The film’s representations “have the potential to cause enmity between different communities, and disrupt social cohesion and religious harmony in our multiracial and multi-religious society,” they said.
Under the film classification guidelines, “any material that is denigrating to racial or religious communities in Singapore” will be refused classification.
Some people, like, Shashi Tharoor, used Singapore’s decision to target the Indian Government for supporting Kashmir Files. Indirectly, they made fun of the Kashmiri Hindu Genocide!
Shashi Tharoor tweeted “Film promoted by India’s ruling party, #KashmirFiles, banned in Singapore.”
Film promoted by India’s ruling party, #KashmirFiles, banned in Singapore: https://t.co/S6TBjglele pic.twitter.com/RuaoTReuAH
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) May 10, 2022
Vivek Agnihotri, clarified that Singapore already has a regressive censor and it is not necessarily targeting Hindus, but it tends to ban any type of film it feels may have a communal angle.
Dear fopdoodle, gnashnab @ShashiTharoor,
FYI, Singapore is most regressive censor in the world. It even banned The Last Temptations of Jesus Christ (ask your madam)
Even a romantic film called #TheLeelaHotelFiles will be banned.
Pl stop making fun of Kashmiri Hindu Genocide. https://t.co/QIxFjJW86U pic.twitter.com/kzodpI1CtL
— Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) May 10, 2022
Source : Hindustan Times
