The criticism of Bollywood filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri's The Kashmir Files by the jury chief of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), Israeli screenwriter and director Nadav Lapid, has drawn strong reactions from members of the Hindi film industry.
His recent comment, before dignitaries and prominent members of the film community, at the closing ceremony of IFFI has created an uproar. For the unawares, Lapid called The Kashmir Files "propaganda, vulgar".
Lapid’s statement was criticised by Israel’s Ambassador to India, Naor Gilon, who accused the filmmaker of having inflicted damage on India-Israel ties.
It may be mentioned that the 47-year-old filmmaker also has a history of criticising the Israeli state and his films often depict the harsh realities of life in autocratic modern-day Israel. He is also known for his love-hate relationship with his homeland.
Lapid’s entry into the cinematic mainstream began with his film Synonyms in the year 2019. The film is about a former Israel Defense Forces solider attempting to run away from his identity. The character is so disgusted with his country that he moves to Paris and attempts to become French.
The filmmaker made headlines after he had said that the 'Israeli collective soul is a sick soul'.
"Something in the deepest essence of the Israeli existence is false – is rotten. It’s not just Benjamin Netanyahu – it’s not special to Israel. But, at the same time, I think this Israeli sickness or nature is characterised by young Israeli men muscular, smiling, who don’t raise any questions and don’t have any doubts. They are extremely proud of being Israeli. They have a totally dichotomist vision of existence: Us versus all the others," Lapid had said in an interview published in NOW magazine.
In an interview with Deadline, Lapid had elaborated on his relationship with his home nation and its people. He said, "I felt that the Israeli state had become unbearable for me. Synonyms was presented as very critical towards Israel, but then people watched it more deeply and said it was also a love song for Israel, and that it was ambivalent. I totally agree." About his compatriots, Lapid added, "I always believed that the Israeli story is not about a certain political constellation, it’s the story of a collective soul. Because of the propaganda system, Israelis can be so blind. I feel like it’s not enough to open their eyes, to shake their bodies, to hit them on the head – you’re fighting against huge forces."
Reportedly, In the same interview, he had declared, "My films talk a lot about politics but it is not easy to define them as political. They talk about people who have political opinions but it’s not clearly a ‘left-wing movie’, it’s not one an opposition party in Israel would show at their political reunion to try and strengthen their points."
Lapid's other films include The Star, Ahed's Knee, From the Diary of a Wedding Photographer, Why?, Love Letter to Cinema, The Kindergarten Teacher, Footsteps in Jerusalem (Documentary), Policeman, Gaza Sderot: Life in Spite of Everything (Documentary), among others.
Lapid was born in Tel Aviv, Israel, in 1975. He studied philosophy at Tel Aviv University. After military service, he moved to Paris before returning to Israel to take a degree at the Sam Spiegel Film & Television School in Jerusalem.
According to reports, Lapid has begun work on a new project. The movie focuses on Ahed Tamini, a Palestinian teenager who slapped an Israeli soldier and was sentenced to prison.
