Filmmaker Hansal Mehta is of the opinion that his films, such as Omerta and Faraaz, find echoes in what happened in Pahalgam. Taking examples of these films, he highlighted state-sponsored terror, radicalisation and young minds being systematically brainwashed into violence. Mehta also reacted to the past criticism, accusing him of targeting a particular community. He penned a long social media post that read, “I hate having to say this. But it needs to be said — again. Shahid, Omerta, and Faraaz were not just films. They were urgent conversations about the times we live in. They spoke about state-sponsored terror, about radicalisation, about young minds being systematically brainwashed into violence.”
Mehta continued, “The events we depicted in Omerta and Faraaz — chillingly — find echoes today in what happened in Pahalgam. Omerta gave a raw, unsparing look into the sinister powers that enable and nurture such heinous acts. Faraaz — heartbreakingly — showed how violence targets innocence in the name of belief. Shahid was a plea for reform, for reclaiming our youth before they fall prey to hate.”
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The filmmaker shared that he was targeted for the films and people questioned his intent. He went on, “At the time, especially when Omerta and Faraaz released, I remember being targeted: ‘Why this story?’, ‘Why this focus?’ ‘Are you targeting a community?’ No. These stories are about a system — a machinery of hatred and fear — that cuts across faiths and borders. A system that thrives on breeding division. A system that brainwashes the young, glorifies the bloodshed, and normalises the terror. It is easy, comfortable even, to indulge in moral grandstanding every time a difficult truth is told. But…Is it really woke to deny the disease? To look away because confronting it is hard?”
Mehta explained that it is cowardice and dangerous to look away. “We must look this hatred — this sickness — straight in the eye. Only then can we even begin to heal,” he concluded. Along with the post, he also shared a couple of photos from the scenes of his films he mentioned.
