Star Cast: Bobby Simha, Tej Sapru, Makrand Deshpande, Raj Arjun, Annusriya Tripathi, Vedhika, Anasuya Bharadwaj, Thalaivasal Vijay, John Vijay

Director: Yata Satyanarayana

What’s Good: Tells us in a no-holds-barred manner about the way Hindus were tortured by a megalomaniac in the name of Islam. The film also has fabulous performances by Raj Arjun in particular as well as by Tej Sapru and Makrand Deshpande

What’s Bad: An avoidable ‘filmi’ touch merely to add masala entertainment elements, especially in the conception of songs and some clearly implausible stunts by the ‘good’ forces.

Loo Break: Not really

Watch or Not?: Yes, if you are a devotee of truth

Language: Telugu with Hindi dubbing

Available On: Theatrical release

Runtime: 166 Minutes

The real story is set around the time India got her Independence and some princely states had to be integrated into India. The Nizam then, Mir Osman Ali Khan (Makrand Deshpande) refuses to do so, preferring to keep Hyderabad intact and make it the Islamic state of his dreams. His militant and despotic lieutenant and general advisor, Kasim Rizvi (Raj Arjun), unleashes a frenzy of torture, brutality, murder, rape, and conversions in different parts of the state against Hindus and against Marathi, Telugu, Kannada, and Hindi as languages being taught—a genocide that few Indians today are even aware of.

As Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru keeps prevaricating, intoning about a treaty India has signed, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the original Iron Man of India and the Home Minister then, decides to take stringent action even as the Nizam plans to ally with Pakistan and other Islamic nations.

Razakar: The Silent Genocide of Hyderabad Movie Review: Script Analysis

While the original Telugu script does not beat about the bush and shows the extreme levels of inhuman brutality shown by the militant ‘police’ (the Razakar), the Hindi lines also do complete justice to the saga of unbridled despotism out of religious fanaticism. Footage of sadism, unspeakable horrors and mayhem resorted to by the Razakar, again and again, take up most of the film’s long length while an ageing Nizam struggles to retain his royal status out of a misguided sense of power and authority.

The dialogues are chilling, and so are the situations. And the non-fanatic and righteously secular (a term not employed then!!) and nationalistic Muslims are also given the same treatment as the helpless and hapless Hindu folks by these fanatical forces.

Razakar: The Silent Genocide of Hyderabad Movie Review: Star Performance

If there is one actor who dazzles here, it is Raj Arjun, a man who played the evil stepfather in Secret Superstar with the same ease and aplomb as his portrayal of Shirdi Sai Baba in the web series we saw some years ago. As Rizvi, he comes across as so malevolent and tyrannical that this must be one of the most horrendous of the real-life villains we have seen so far in Hindi cinema. I can only salute him for his expressions, the way he rages, roars and otherwise modulates his voice. And his expressions and the manic look in his eyes in close-ups are simply out of this world.

Tej Sapru is excellent as the determined Sardar Patel in a performance that is as much subdued as it is intense. Makrand Deshpande brings to life the erring Nizam, who sees the light too late but cannot be punished for the genocide he sanctioned. The character of K.M. Munshi, popularly known by his pen name Ghanshyam Vyas, an Indian independence movement activist, politician and writer from Gujarat and the founder of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, is evocatively brought out by veteran South actor Thalaivasal Vijay.

As the film is so stark and graphic about everything, the characters are all perfect for the parts, and among them, Annusriya Tripathi as one of Mir Osman Ali Khan’s wives, Vedhika as Shanthavva and Bobby Simha as Rajireddy stand out. The issue here is that all have got limited to even less (!) footage, but they all still shine in the roles given.

Razakar: The Silent Genocide of Hyderabad Movie Review: Direction, Music

Director Yata Satyanarayana goes all out in his passionate zeal to expose (as in The Kashmir Files, The Kerala Story and Bastar: A Naxal Story) truths hidden from all or most of the nation out of vested interests. A present Censor rule is that whatever is depicted on screen must be backed by documented facts, and clearly the depiction must be authenticated. It is horrifying how the Indian powers then distorted even relatively contemporary history out of pure malicious intent.

The film is very candid in its exhibition of reality, and while the gore may put off a section of the audience (word-of-mouth is always vital for a film’s box-office standing), I must congratulate the director, who has also co-written the script, for showing things as they were.

That said, mention must be made of the needless dramatization that elongates the film, so to speak. The dance invoking the Goddess Durga and another rousing song not only slow down the pace but also seem clearly inspired by S.S. Rajamouli! One song, contextually, is very similar to the classic Kumuram Bheemodu from RRR! The background score is also an inspiration, as are the end-credits. Then there are some action sequences akin to normal films in which the lead actors take on multiple antagonists all at once! The director should have steered clear of such needless add-ons to a terrifying saga, which, unlike the fictional RRR or the Bahubali franchise, is totally real.

The music per se is alright, ditto the fitted Hindi lyrics.

Razakar: The Silent Genocide of Hyderabad Movie Review: The Last Word

Such films, sadly, in our country, are labelled as ‘propaganda’ films, even more so as the election season is on. But the truth will always be the truth, and in any case, films always work because of their resonance with the viewer.

Three and a half stars!

screen presence in the film is commendable, these parts pull down his performance several notches.

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