Vivek Agnihotri's The Kashmir Files, a Hindi movie based on the exodus of the Pandit community from the Kashmir valley in the early months of the insurgency, has taken the box office by storm. Agnihotri’s principal villain — Farooq Malik Bitta (played by Chinmay Mandlekar)was accused of killing Kashmiri Pandits. He was afraid of hanging but was released on bail as no evidence was found against him. He himself admitted the murders in an interview to the video. Born Farooq Ahmed Dar in 1973 in Srinagar, Bitta was his nickname and the “karate” was the name he earned because of his mastery in martial arts. With his nom de guerre — Bitta Karate — he went on to become synonymous with terror in the Valley in the 1990s.
After the release of the film ‘The Kashmir Files’, a video got viral on the internet. The video is of terrorist Farooq Ahmed Dar aka Bitta Karate giving an interview to the media. In his interview, he revealed that he was a bit uncomfortable during his first murder. But after that, he kept killing people. He had killed about 20 people, and most of them were Kashmiri Pandits. He also killed a man linked with RSS. Bitta was in prison for 16 years. In 2006, he was granted bail as no concrete evidence were found against him.Back in 1980-1990, he would reportedly walk on the streets of Srinagar, looking for Pandits. If spotted, he would take out his pistol and shoot them on sight. Once out of jail, he joined the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front. He was arrested again by the NIA in 2019 on charges of terror funding under the anti-terror laws after the Pulwama attack.
Actor Kangana Ranaut has heaped praises on The Kashmir Files after watching the film, and claimed that the film has purged Bollywood of its 'sins'. In a video shared by a paparazzo account, Kangana said that those in the film fraternity who are 'hiding in holes like rats' should step out and promote the film. Kangana also congratulated the team for making the movie. The Kashmir Files, directed by Vivek Agnihotri, features actor Anupam Kher and actor-producer Pallavi Joshi.