When The Kashmir Files made ₹3.5 crore at the box office on March 11, its opening day , nobody was too surprised. The film had no big stars. The previous film by its director Vivek Agnihotri had done a lifetime business of ₹20 crore. If anything, it seemed like a good opening. Within a week, however, the film was rivalling the numbers of Baahubali, no less. For a film that was projected to earn not more than ₹30-40 crore, to be hurtling towards ₹200 crore mark was not just surprising but unprecedented. Also read: The Kashmir Files movie review: Anupam Kher is the soul of this gut-wrenching film that’s brazen and brutal
Many have argued that the film’s business increased because it is a well-made film. It’s true that the film has been praised by critics. While that is an argument that merits discussion, there is no precedent for it. Several critically praised films have struggled to find viewers in the past. If word of mouth was always that effective, every National Award-winning film should cross ₹100 crore.
But word of mouth helped the film curtail the reversals that smaller films usually see. Film trade analyst Atul Mohan says, “What multiplexes tend to do is reduce the number of screens for small films after the first day or so when the numbers are low. That didn’t happen here. The high demand meant they had to increase the number of screens.” But even sustained word of mouth goes only so far. There have been other films that have seen small openings turn into big lifetime collections, but never this big.
Film analysts cite films like Pink, Neerja, Queen, all of which sustained their collections largely through positive word of mouth. The Kashmir Files’ opening day collection was ₹3.55 crore. In comparison, Pink earned ₹4.18 crore, Neerja did a business of ₹4.62 crore, and Queen earned ₹1.7 crore on day one. But none of these films saw their lifetime India nett earnings cross ₹100 crore. The Kashmir Files, on the other hand, stands at ₹207 crore after two weeks.
The answer is in the messaging. The Kashmir Files found itself linked to nationalism and patriotism, earning endorsement from the government itself. Of course it helps when the word is from the mouth of the Prime Minister. When PM Modi himself gave a speech about the film in the Parliament, that turned the tide for the film. That speech and the political rebuttal on it from the opposition turned the film into an issue of national significance. That is publicity one can’t buy in any market. “It was quite similar to how it happened with Uri as well. There also, after an endorsement by the PM, the box office earnings got a boost,” says Atul Mohan.
Following PM’s speech, the film also received a push on social media, particularly on WhatsApp and Facebook. A viewer, who watched it in a Ghaziabad theatre on its second weekend, said, “I don’t go to watch films in the theatre. But I received a message on a family WhatsApp group saying that this is a small film about a good issue. It needs support. Everyone watches blockbusters. But small films are the ones we should watch.” Many others received similar messages and insistence from friends and family. All this combined to give the film a big push after its opening weekend.
The exodus and killings of Kashmiri Pandits is a sensitive issue in modern Indian history. The mainstream entertainment media does not have many examples of stories based on that episode. A previous film on the issue – Shikara by Vidhu Vinod Chopra – was criticised for being too watered down. The Kashmir Files filled that gap. It tells a story that people want to hear and tells it with impact.
That doesn’t mean the film is without flaws. The filmmaker’s own bias reflects in the storytelling. It views everyone from a particular community with suspicion. It turns everyone at a premier national university into conniving villains. The narrative is in line with what many believe. But it isn’t objective. Some have argued that this is the sole cause of its success. But that is debatable. There have been other films that have attempted to ride the popular sentiment of a given time to box office success. PM Narendra Modi starring Vivek Oberoi released right after the real PM’s landslide electoral victory in 2019. Despite all that, it earned just ₹23 crore at the box office.
Where The Kashmir Files differs from all small movies previously – be it the Narendra Modi biopic or Queen – is that it is helped by a combination of factors. And it rides them all. It is a well-made film and a well-marketed one too. It tugs at your heart because it tells a true story, but it adds some popular and populist agendas to it. And then, a whirlwind discussion in national news 24×7 followed by social media forwards help it stay suspended in public’s minds for long.. So much so, that it obliterates an Akshay Kumar film at the box office.
The Kashmir Files may end up being an oddity. No doubt people will try to replicate its success. But it’s highly likely most will fail. For a film to be as successful, a lot of things have to work in unison. And that is no exact formula or science. Perhaps that is one of the legacies of this film- that it goes against conventional wisdom of what the public wants to see in the cinema halls.
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