Tom Cruise’s latest film Mission: Impossible – Fallout may have hit screens around thee world as a blockbuster but India is unhappy with the mention of occupied Kashmir – a UN-recognized disputed territory.
Kashmir is one of the places where the movie action is set, although the scenes have been shot in a New Zealand valley.
Yet, New Delhi has demanded of the film producers to wipe off references to Kashmir.
However, after negotiations, the makers of the movie starring Tom Cruise, agreed to delete references to Kashmir ONLY for its release in India on July 27, the reports said.
Kashmir has lately been in the news due to unrest in the face of protests against New Delhi’s rule, is the climaxing place, where British anarchist Solomon Lane has stored nuclear weapons that he plans on detonating.
The final cut released in India does not identify the region where this action takes place.
Film Poster/Wikimedia
But why has India been irked by description of the disputed and occupied territory as occupied Kashmir?
While people worldwide will watch the Hollywood movie with mentions of Kashmir, only people in India will not find these mentions.
The argument that India does not want to internationalize Kashmir seems unbelievable since the issue is already on the UN agenda.
Only a few weeks ago, the UN Human Rights took New Delhi to task in a damning report on state violence against protesters.
The chief of Indian Central Board of Film Certification, Prasoon Joshi, has had this explanation for censor.
The “integrity of India’s borders is non-negotiable,” Joshi said,
“The CBFC had advised the applicant of the film that the map shown in the film misrepresents the boundaries of Jammu and Kashmir and should be either rectified or removed. They had also referred to Kashmir as “India-occupied Kashmir” which we have asked them to correct as the ‘Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir’,” he said.
According to a media report, in the international print of the Christopher McQuarrie-directed film, there is “prominent mention” of Kashmir, India, Pakistan and China.
But in the India cut, “there’s a mention of Nubra valley (in Ladakh) and Siachen Glacier, there’s a glimpse of an Indian soldier… but what is missing is the mention of where all the action is taking place,” a report says.
Clearly, New Delhi wants to divert any focus on Kashmir but reports of state violence including the use of pellet guns has exposed its claims about Kashmir being its integral part.
