The Wandering Madman: The Allegorical Kashmiri Figure in Indian Cinema
The essay is based on the representation of the Kashmiri figure in Indian cinemas and how this representation is challenged through fiction films (both mainstream and indie features) made from 2010 onward by both Kashmiri and non-Kashmiri filmmakers. What emerges prominently in films like I Am (2010), Harud (2012), Valley of Saints (2012), 23 Winters (2014) is a vision of the valley that is closer to reality. These indie films and documentaries lead to Haider (2014) which marks a shift in the mainstream representation of the Kashmiri figure followed by Shikara (2020) proving that post 2012, Bollywood is no longer shying away from honest depictions of the Kashmiri. And the broad thread running through these films is the figure of the “madman”, an allegorical Kashmiri figure reeling from decades of trauma inflicted upon Kashmiris—both Pandits and Muslims.
