Is 72 Hoorain Islamophobic? Makers Cross-Examined

The intentions of the makers were put under the scanner when films like The Kashmir Files and The Kerala Story reached theatres. Both the films were labeled “Islamophobic” and “propaganda” for the sensitive content it displays and the alleged biases against a particular community. However, the makers of both films maintained their stand that it doesn’t target the Muslim community but instead throws light on the injustice done to the Hindu community in particular incidents. Though the films faced massive backlash, boycotts, and debates, they did unexpectedly well at the box office. The Kashmir Files was one of the biggest blockbusters of 2022 and The Kerala Story took the BO by storm in 2023. And now, another “controversial” film titled 72 Hoorain is up for release. Ever since the film’s poster was released, it was discarded by netizens by calling it another addition to the emerging list of propaganda films. In an exclusive chat, the film’s director Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan and co-producer Ashoke Pandit were asked to answer the questions that have been cropping up in the minds of every citizen – Is 72 Hoorain Islamophobic? Is there propaganda running in their minds?

Sanjay Puran Singh confidently says, “I don’t need to make a film to do propaganda.”

He adds, “We discard things very easily. We categorize them very easily. We don’t pay attention to what the film is trying to say and what kind of sensitive topic it is trying to talk about. We have suffered terrorism the most. If we are making a film on terrorism, how can you call it a ‘propaganda film’? People have lost lives due to terrorism. We live in Mumbai and we have seen the 2006 train blast and 2008 terror attack. So, it is wrong to demean someone’s creative work even without watching the film. You have full freedom to express your views. You can like it or you can reject it altogether but at least make an opinion after watching the film. People started calling it propaganda when we had just released the poster. The trailer came out much later. I can’t control what people think. I have touched upon a very sensitive topic with a lot of honesty and have tried to look at it with a new approach. And I want people to watch it in a similar manner and then start discussions on it.”

Producer Ashoke Pandit slams those who are creating controversy out of the upcoming film. He states, “Who are these people who call it a propaganda film? They are those people who have supported only one particular kind of films since the beginning and have been running an agenda around it, be it a film critic or a communist or a person believing in a particular faith. They have been running a particular agenda due to which other things haven’t come to the front. And now, when some films are being made which are also being accepted at a larger level, those people have felt destroyed. They have felt frustrated. They now feel that their agenda and their thought process has been destroyed by films like The Kashmir Files, The Kerala Story and 72 Hoorain. So, they are calling these films propaganda out of their insecurity.”

“People will make films on cancers in India- like terrorism, conversion and other issues. You can make films based on your preference. Why are you demolishing our films which is raising serious issues?” he adds.

Sanjay also reacts to 72 Hoorain being put in the same category as The Kashmir Files and The Kerala Story. He says, “72 Hoorain is a film made on new perspective. Many films have been made on terrorism before. Some were from the perspective of victims, while some were from the perspective of investigative agencies. This is the first time we are attempting to make a film based on the perspective of people who commit terror acts. It is based on those who train people, who brainwash them and those who execute it. I think that this perspective hasn’t been explored in the cinema world before. I don’t know if it falls into that category. But people have already categorized it and I can’t control it. But I have made this film with a very different approach.”

When asked if the intention is to chase the success of previously released “controversial” films, Ashoke Pandit reveals, “This film was made even before The Kerala Story and The Kashmir Files were made.”

72 Hoorain was ready to release in 2020 but was put on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The film was presented to IFFI and Sanjay even won the National Award under “Best Director” category for 72 Hoorain. After a delay of over two years, the film is finally releasing in theatres on 7 July 2023.