31st october
Cast: Soha Ali Khan, Vir Das, lakha lakhwinder Singh, Pritam Kagne
Rated: 5/10
After a long time — 32 years to be precise — a film on the 1984 Sikh riots hits the screens. Those those who were a witness to the three days of bloodbath, where around 9,000 innocent Sikhs (read comman man) were killed mercilessly all across the country, it is a grim reminder that in riots it is always the comman man who faces the brunt while the biggies and thenetas go scot-free.
Told from the perspective of a Sikh family who lives in Tilak Nagar, Delhi, the film based on a true story and directed by Shivaji lotan Patil does manage to connect with you. The burnt cars, rioteers looting shops, Sikhs being chased down the bylanes only to be burnt alive are horrific to watch. The fact that all this happened, in real life, and much more only goes to add to the viewers’ distress.
It also adds salt in the wounds that have not healed even though more than three decades have passed. There are families who are looking for justice which never came their way. To release a film on 1984 riots will open the wounds yet again. Probably, this could have been one such tale that should have been not put out on the celluloid even though the intentions are good.