5 nerve-racking films like The Kashmir Files

Vivek Agnihotri wrote and directed the 2022 Indian Hindi-language drama film The Kashmir Files. The film, which was produced by Zee Studios, is based on the departure of Kashmiri Pandits during the Kashmir Insurgency. Mithun Chakraborty, Anupam Kher, Darshan Kumar, and Pallavi Joshi star in it.

Critics gave The Kashmir Files mixed reviews, with some praising the performances and direction and others criticising the film for being 'loud and jingoistic.' Despite this, the film was a commercial success, grossing Rs. 80 crores (US$11 million) against an Rs. 40 crores (US$5.6 million) budget.

On Monday (November 28), Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid made headlines in India for calling Vivek Agnihotri's film The Kashmir Files 'vulgar' and 'propaganda.' Nadav Lapid, a jury chief at the 53rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI), made the remarks during the festival's closing ceremony in Goa.

Here's a list of movies similar to The Kashmir Files to watch on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ Hotstar.

Black Friday (Netflix)

The film, which was banned in India, is an engrossing story about the investigations into the 1993 serial Bombay bomb blasts. This film, directed by Anurag Kashyap, will have the same impact on your mind as The Kashmir Files.

Tiger Memon (Pavan Malhotra), an Indian gangster, confesses to being involved in a plot to detonate explosives throughout Bombay while being tortured. However, the police refuse to believe him, and bombs rip through the city that Friday, wreaking havoc and polarising the citizens. 

DCP Rakesh Maria (Kay Kay Menon) gets closer to discovering who the leader of the conspiracy is through a series of interviews, but it soon becomes clear that a foreign power is involved.

Firaaq (Amazon Prime Video)

Firaaq is a 2008 Hindi political thriller film that takes place one month after the 2002 violence in Gujarat, India, and examines the aftermath's impact on the lives of ordinary people. It says it's based on 'a thousand true stories.' In Arabic, firaaq means both separation and quest. 

The film received positive reviews in India and was nominated for several awards, including the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi, the Crystal Globe at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, and six Filmfare Awards.

Firaaq premiered at several international film festivals, including the Toronto International Film Festival, the Venice Film Festival, and the Dubai International Film Festival. The film was banned in Gujarat due to its sensitive subject matter: religious conflict.

Maachis (Amazon Prime Video)

The film, directed by Gulzar and starring Chandrachur Singh, Jimmy Sheirgill, Tabu, and Om Puri, is one of the few that attempts to understand Punjab's turbulent history during the 1980s. This political film is the result of Operation Blue Star (A mission by the Indian Army under former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to remove Damdami Taksal leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his followers from the buildings of the Golden Temple). In every frame, the film is rare, uncompromising, and outstanding.

Parzania (Disney+ Hotstar)

Parzania revolved around a 10-year-old Parsi child who goes missing during the Gujarat communal riots in 2002. The film, which starred Naseeruddin Shah and Sarika, won two National Awards: Best Director (Rahul Dholakia) and Best Actress (Sarika) (Sarika).

Inspired by a true story, a Parsi couple searches for their son, who went missing in 2002 during the Gujarat riots that erupted in the aftermath of the Godhra train burning incident. The film is currently available on Disney+ Hotstar.

Punjab 1984

Diljit Dosanjh's debut screenplay, Punjab 1984, premiered in 2014. This is a period piece set between 1984 and 1985. Significantly, this film aims to educate people about an incident that occurred in the lives of people who were not present at Indira Gandhi's assassination.

This is the story of a mother and her missing son set in 1984 Punjab, during a terrible period of terrorism in the state. The film depicts a mother's longing for her son and her search for her son, who has been labelled a terrorist due to the bad times in Punjab.