Film Sabarmati Report is a straight refresher of the Conspiracy for the Gen Z

Having released in the backdrop of some suspicion from both right and left wings, partly  attributable perhaps to the recent track record of utterances of its makers the Balaji Motion Pictures and its key stake holders, the film The Sabarmati Report has harbored no twists. Rather creditably, it serves a straight narrative of depicting the conspiracy that was hatched on the previous night by a section of motivated Muslims from Godhra to burn a bogey or two of the train The Sabarmati Express. The motivation: to take on the participating kar-sevaks of Maha Ahuti Yajna that the train was bringing back from Ayodhya to Gujarat on that fateful morning of February 27, 2002.

The original plan was to hit the train in wee hours, that being its real arrival time at Godhra. However, the train arrived late and the incident was ‘executed’ at about 8 am in the garb of provocation, according to newspaper reports, witnesses and Enquiry Commission reports.

At a secondary level, the film is a castigation of the English electronic media and its deep rooted prejudices against the Hindi or vernacular journalists – more so of a particular channel and its particular “celebrity” reporters and its hi fi editor of the time, who are all shown to have colluded from day 1 to twist facts by hiding the mob attack on the train and to afford an advantage to opposition by planting the alibi of safety and security of passengers. Needless to recall it was the NDA at centre and BJP in Gujarat.

It is pertinent to record that this Chanel’s role depicted in the film is a creative representation of all those who always made it out to be “a fire from inside the coach caused by a stove or a cigarette butt”. Notably though, all the print media from Gujarat had clearly reported the mob violence leading to burning with petrol from 28th Feb 2002 itself, while others found “provocations” for the extreme response.

Essentially in line with the Nanavati Commission Report, through a step by step investigation carried out by weaving a plot set in 2007, the film plays out the conspiracy and exposes the false ploys like a “scuffle of Hindu passenger/s with a Muslim vendor” or “an attempted molestation of a Muslim girl” as “triggers” leading to a crowd coming out and resorting to the eventual burning of the train bogey out of rage and reaction, all falsehood used by conspirators and part of the media and some opposition combines that defended them.

The film is set in 2002 and 2007 showcasing first round as twisted journalism at the behest of vested interests and later as an endeavor in investigative journalism. So the film is an account of investigation through its own protagonist, this Hindi journo Samar Kumar and his colleague Amrita Gill of the same channel, commissioned for a follow up five years later due to compulsive developments. The duo then dig out the whole truth. The film from here onwards recreates the tragedy on celluloid by showing the conspirators doing what they did in reality for the sake of next generation.

The film starts by showcasing how in his first attempt in 2002 as cameraperson accompanying the celebrity reporter of the elite channel, while trying to get the right reportage done back from Delhi Office with his independent interviews with victims and other footage, Samar is cornered by the elite channel for his “damaging” real footage which is confiscated even as he is made to face false charges of theft of equipment, goes in oblivion and drowns himself in liquor for a few years.

It’s a turn of events that forces his second foray in Godhra to finally unearth the conspiracy in 2007 as per the film script. The real dates of the establishment of conspiracy by the Nanavati-Mehta Commission may be different and are not actually discussed in the film. The convictions of the perpetrators are discussed, though.

The film also refreshes and exposes one by one the deliberate falsehoods played by electronic English media and cohorts, so also the concocted “provocations” for all those who may still have a nebulous perception of the whole episode.

Only in some references, the film seems to be a little cautious and does its balancing act – which looks alright for a work of realist art and all of this has no material bearing on the reality of the main event and of the perpetrators involved.

The actors are not bad while the protagonist Samar Kumar, a Hindi journo is played by Vikrant Massey (of 12th Fail fame)

Riddhi Dogra as Manika Rajpurohit, the ‘star reporter’ and Raashi Khanna as the young debutant reporter of the same channel do well, more so Riddhi who brings a great deal of arrogance and attitude in her portrayal of the ‘character’ she plays. The director of the film Dheeraj Sarna who took over at a belated stage for unclear reasons has delivered the film well.

The film ends as a tribute to all those who died by sharing their names for us to recall how 10 children and 27 women perished with 22 men.

The film is well made and deserves a watch for a final rehash of the events that shook the nation to say the least even as many viewers were found rating it 5/5.