I'm Not the River Jhelum

The film shows glimpses of the life of its young protagonist Afeefa living in Kashmir. On the one hand, the film explores the suffocation and trauma experienced by Afeefa in her personal life and, on the other hand, the film evokes the atmosphere of perpetual uncertainty and violence in the milieu. In following the life of Afeefa, the film traces her growing understanding of the forces at play in Kashmir, India.

Director’s Note
For over many decades, life in Kashmir has been filled with uncertainty and violence. The worst sufferers in this situation are children and women in the sense that the basic human rights to freedom and education are denied to them. From what I gathered from my visits to Kashmir and in my interactions with the people, I felt a great many views exist, in conflict with each other within Kashmir as well as outside - in ‘mainland’ India. I felt that there is a huge gap between the perception and the ground reality of Kashmir. It has been a challenge for me to comprehend the complex universe of Kashmir and to attempt to evoke this in my first feature film.