All the President’s Men, JFK, The Day of the Jackal are some of the classic investigative political thriller films that come to mind. We, however, are still new to this genre on the lives, deaths, controversial incidents during the tenure of important political personalities.
Perhaps our filmmakers have avoided such subjects to remain clear of unnecessary controversy or perhaps, they didn’t think that there was an audience for such films.
If the enthusiastic applause during a private screening at select moments that truly touched a chord in the audience and the standing ovation at the end of Tashkent Files is any indication, then Vivek Rajan Agnihotri’s film has heralded in an important moment in Indian film history.
The circumstances too are unique.
Never have we been as a Nation so deeply invested in our National consciousness.
It was as if in 2014 an old blanket covering all sins, skeletons, filth, maggots & termites that were gnawing away at our innards unravelled and exposed an unimaginable horror.
Truth as we believed it – was a lie.
History as we had been taught – was only a pretty fairytale.
Elected leaders had been no less than charlatans.
The four pillars of democracy were hollowed out.
Tashkent Files is one more unravelling thread in the blanket that covered up our past.
Fast-paced, gripping and very well researched with an excellent cast that does justice to their roles. Shweta Basu Prasad, Pallavi Joshi, Pankaj Tripathi, Mithun Chakraborty, Naseeruddin Shah stay with you much after the film is over.
As the film progresses anger, shock even distress are the overwhelming feelings that one experiences.
India deserved an honest, upright Prime Minister.
Why was he done to death?
By whom?
For whom?
To know more see Tashkent Files releasing on 12 April 2019 and make a vow that our young people will not be led like sheep to the slaughterhouse, spoon-fed & fattened on half-truths as we were.
If nothing else we owe it to Lal Bahadur Shastri who was killed twice.
Once in Tashkent and then by the deliberate erasure of his memory.
Also read: Tashkent Files 2019 Review: A story that needed to be told [Twitter Reviews Updated]
