‘We tried to create a space for reflection rather than reaction’

MK Raina (centre) in ‘Batt Koch’. pics/By Special Arrangement, Instagram, YouTube

Kashmir in Indian films is usually framed by politics and displacement. What if Kashmir was remembered not through politics, but through memory and belonging? That's the story filmmakers Ankit Wali and Siddarth Koul set out to tell. Their Kashmiri-language feature, Batt Koch, is a deeply personal exploration of memory, grief, and belonging.

Instead of centring the narrative on political debate, the director duo focuses on human experiences. "No film needs to explain to Kashmiri Pandits what happened in 1990. Every family has lived through it. Those shared experiences are what bind the community together even today," Wali told mid-day. He added that Batt Koch offers a glimpse into "the interior life of a displaced family, the quiet grief, the inheritance of memory, and the meaning of home across generations."

Siddarth Koul and Ankit Wali

Koul believes the experiences of Kashmiri Pandits are "vast and layered" and deserve to be explored through different storytelling approaches. "We were interested in something harder to articulate. The emotional centre of the film lies in relationships and human experiences. We tried to create a space for reflection rather than reaction."

Batt Koch follows Poshkar Nath Koul, played by MK Raina, an elderly Kashmiri Pandit who returns to Kashmir after his wife's death, decades after leaving the Valley.

For the filmmakers, the story examines how memories of a homeland survive long after people have been physically separated from it. "For many, Kashmir was something we first encountered through stories, language, rituals, and family memories before we experienced it as an actual place. We wanted to explore how memory preserves what history disrupts," shared Koul.

What does batt koch mean?
The Kashmiri word batt koch means lost lane

Did you know?
‘Batt Koch' was screened at the New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) 2026 last week where it was nominated for Best Debut Feature Film and MK Raina was nominated for in the Best Actor category

Other films on Kashmir without geopolitics at its core

Laila Majnu

>> ‘Mainz Raat' (1964)
>> ‘Habba Khatoon' (1970s)
>> ‘Laila Majnu' (2018)
>> ‘Valley of Saints' (2012)
>> ‘Notebook' (2019)