Between Misappropriation and Erasure: Revisiting Haider’s Cinematic Silence on Kashmiri Hindu Identity

Abstract

This essay critically examines the lack of representation of Kashmiri Hindu identity in Vishal
Bhardwaj’s Haider (2014). As an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the film primarily
projects the existential dilemma and conflicts over Kashmir, overshadowing the plight of the identity
crisis faced by the displaced Kashmiri Hindu community. While selectively prioritizing certain
narratives in the valley, the movie omits their tragedy reducing it to a backdrop for political and personal
dramas, unhearing of their cries. The essay problematizes Haider for its selective representation as well
as for reinforcing intergenerational and transgenerational trauma, challenging collective memory and
perpetuating cultural erasure in the psychology of the marginalized Hindu minority. Thus, it locates
locating the cinematic portrayal and narrative within the larger discourse of identity politics of the
survivors.