Veteran theatre director and actor MK Raina walked out of a session at the Jaipur Literature Festival on Friday after expressing his disappointment over the way Kashmir is portrayed in cinema.
Raina was part of a discussion with singer and actor Ila Arun on the second day of the festival, where they were promoting their respective memoirs—Before I Forget by Raina and Parde Ke Peechhey by Arun. The session, titled Memories from the Screen and Stage, was moderated by Anjula Bedi.
During the conversation, Arun spoke about her latest play Peer Ghani, an adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s Peer Gynt, set in Kashmir. At this point, Raina, who hails from Kashmir, expressed his frustration, stating that Indian cinema has been misrepresenting the region. “I see bad films about Kashmir, accusing it of all sorts of things. Lousy films… Kashmir is not being represented properly because filmmakers don’t truly understand it,” he said.
Shortly after, as Arun performed a scene from Peer Ghani, Raina abruptly left the session, causing a stir among attendees. When informed of his departure, Arun responded with a reference to the 1980 film Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyoon Aata Hai, asking, “Albert Pinto ko gussa kyu aaya?”
The session’s moderator, Asad Lalljee, continued the discussion in Raina’s absence. His memoir Before I Forget reflects on his personal and professional journey, including his experiences growing up in Kashmir, while Arun’s Parde Ke Peechhey explores her life both on and off the stage.
