Chief censor reviewing classification of The Kashmir Files after concerns from Muslim community

Members of the Muslim community have raised concerns the Hindi film The Kashmir Files may stoke anti-Muslim sentiment, prompting the chief censor to review the film’s classification.

The Kashmir Files, a fictional telling of the exodus of Hindus from Kashmir in the 1990s, had been due to be released in New Zealand on March 24 with an R16 certificate.

Speculation about the Classification Office’s actions and motivations had been “running rife”, chief censor David Shanks said, but “this isn’t a case of banning the film”.

He said members of the Muslim community had approached him with concerns the film “could raise anti-Muslim sentiment and potential hatred”.

It was a “complex situation”, he said, as the concerns focused on behaviours on and offline in relation to the film, rather than the content of the film itself.

Videos published online appear to show people in cinemas in India cheering, shouting hate slogans, and calling for violence against Muslims.

Shanks said the concerns raised were valid and serious, so it was important to “take stock and pause”.