31st October, 1984 is not a day to be easily forgotten - in the subcontinent, and elsewhere. Oct 31 to Nov 4, the capital city of India turned into a case study of state sponsored genocide. Over the years, I have read multiple books, seen countless documentaries and read endless reports to understand, as much as possible, what happened there. This is one more real life account. But one very under-represented aspect of that pogrom, was the brave neighbors who risked their own life, their property and families, to save their Sikh friends and neighbors. This film tells that story rather well.
Also, this is a rare story of survival. The other films I saw were films of death alone. This family survived, thanks to the humanity of their friends, who crossed a city on fire to come and get them.
What is great about the film (other than, of course, the fact that its a real story), is the art direction. I love the small lanes with drains on the side, the decor in the houses, the use of old scooters with 3 digit number plates. Also, the costume design deserves special mention. In the first half of the film, the suddenness of the entire episode is played out beautifully. It really was like that - people went out to get groceries and suddenly realised they could not go home alive.
But where the movie fails its audience is in its representation. The editing, as the other reviewers have pointed out, is the weakest aspect of the film. The film drags, and how. The second weak aspect of the film is that the actual violence was wayyyyyyy more than what is depicted in the film. Dead bodies were not left on the roads as is indicated. After killing, the dead bodies were burnt on the spot. The preferred mode of killing was to put tyres around their neck and set the tyres on fire. OR to load them into a truck (most trucks at that time were owned by the Sikhs), spray petrol on the truck and set it on fire. None of this is depicted in the film. The violence appears very benign compared to what actually happened. No one was safe inside their house because the rioters had electoral lists in their hands and knew exactly where to go.
The movie also speaks some ugly truths that deserve to be spoken. The death of Indira Gandhi was not the beginning. That assassination was more like the climax of a movie that was scripted by the political establishment - holding an entire state to puppet ransom. If this movie triggers that research in its audience, if it inspires them to go back and try to find out what the political establishment did to the Granary of India, it will have met its purpose.
Also, this is a rare story of survival. The other films I saw were films of death alone. This family survived, thanks to the humanity of their friends, who crossed a city on fire to come and get them.
What is great about the film (other than, of course, the fact that its a real story), is the art direction. I love the small lanes with drains on the side, the decor in the houses, the use of old scooters with 3 digit number plates. Also, the costume design deserves special mention. In the first half of the film, the suddenness of the entire episode is played out beautifully. It really was like that - people went out to get groceries and suddenly realised they could not go home alive.
But where the movie fails its audience is in its representation. The editing, as the other reviewers have pointed out, is the weakest aspect of the film. The film drags, and how. The second weak aspect of the film is that the actual violence was wayyyyyyy more than what is depicted in the film. Dead bodies were not left on the roads as is indicated. After killing, the dead bodies were burnt on the spot. The preferred mode of killing was to put tyres around their neck and set the tyres on fire. OR to load them into a truck (most trucks at that time were owned by the Sikhs), spray petrol on the truck and set it on fire. None of this is depicted in the film. The violence appears very benign compared to what actually happened. No one was safe inside their house because the rioters had electoral lists in their hands and knew exactly where to go.
The movie also speaks some ugly truths that deserve to be spoken. The death of Indira Gandhi was not the beginning. That assassination was more like the climax of a movie that was scripted by the political establishment - holding an entire state to puppet ransom. If this movie triggers that research in its audience, if it inspires them to go back and try to find out what the political establishment did to the Granary of India, it will have met its purpose.
