Movie Review | Story That Was Swept Under The Carpet

Starring: Raj Arjun, Bobby Simha, Anasuya Bharadwaj

Director: Yaata Satyanarayana

After centuries of battles and struggles of various forms, India got rid of British rule. It was a moment of joy for all Indians, but was tempered by the massacre of nearly 10 lakh people in Punjab and Bengal — the two regions which were partitioned between India and Pakistan. This is well-known to the world.

Over a period, many people, who migrated to India from Pakistan made several movies on the horrors of partition, immortalising its impact in the minds of people.

A massacre of a similar kind was perpetrated down south in the Deccan. While Punjab and Bengal started burning days ahead of Sir Cyril Radcliffe taking out his pen and drawing a line dividing a civilisational India, Hyderabad was on a slow burn for several decades before that.

Ever since the British forced the Nizam to have an elected government, the fear of the majority community took root in the princely state. Baby steps taken by Bahadur Yar Jung by establishing the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen to assert the primacy of Muslims in the power dynamics made Hindus second-class subjects and ignited the flame of freedom in Hyderabad.

Kasim Rizvi took this trend further by espousing a militant organisation called Razakars, who massacred Hindus and raped Hindu women. Thousands of Hindus were driven away into areas that are not under the Nizam rule. But none of these incidents made their way into the popular narrative. Perhaps, because those who lived these horrors never made it to power in politics or cinema after the formation of Andhra Pradesh.

Now, a serious attempt has been made by Gudur Narayan Reddy’s movie ‘Razakar: The Silent Genocide of Hyderabad’, released on March 15, to revisit atrocities perpetrated by Razakars. Directed by Yaata Satyanarayana, the movie primarily focuses on three aspects — one, narrating atrocities of Razakars across Hyderabad State, two, people’s resistance against Razakar terrorists and three, India’s armed action to end Nizam rule in Hyderabad.

As the movie retells the struggle of people living in different areas of Hyderabad State, the characters of the Nizam, Kasim Rizvi, Sardar Patel, and K.M. Munshi take predominant screen time. Though the character of Kasim Rizvi is the anti-hero and central to the plot, its portrayal appears comical. The role of K.M. Munshi was reduced to a postman to Sardar Patel, though he played an active role in formulating policies.

The movie also depicts several gory incidents such as Razakars hanging intestine of a cow at a house of an Arya Samaj follower. The atrocities of Razakars against women are particularly highlighted. In one of such scenes, Razakars attack women who were celebrating Bathukamma, and disrobe them in front of men.

The director also focuses on the people’s rebellion. In one such scene, a hapless woman kills a Razakar with a plough and holds his body high in an act of defiance. In another scene, a bull charges the Razakars when they attack an Arya Samaj follower for reconverting a Brahmin family which was forced to accept Islam under duress. In another scene, people display their patriotic fervour for India and defiance for the Razakars by hoisting the National Flag at the cost of their lives.

Though the movie could be labelled a political project, one of its songs rightly credits Hyderabad’s freedom struggle to Communists, Arya Samaj and the State Congress.

Another charge that could be levelled against the movie is that it disturbs peace between communities by digging up the unpleasant past. To counter this movie, some people may highlight the popular revolt against Muslims across Hyderabad State after the police action.

However, any peace that is achieved without accepting historical responsibility of the past would be short-lived. This movie tells people what was swept under the carpet for nearly 80 years.