This movie can be found in Zee5
LANGUAGE: Hindi
RUNTIME: 2 Hours 24 Minutes
DIRECTOR: Vivek Agnihotri
Based on the mysteries related to the demise of Independent India’s second prime minister Sri Lal Bahadur Shasthri, the Tashkent files is undoubtedly an extremely brave attempt to expose the untold aspects of Shastriji’s death.
The film begins with the introduction of Raagini Phule, a not so honest journalist who would be looking for “a scoop” or news that would put her and her channel in spotlight. However, the plot actually begins to take shape when she receives a mysterious phone call from an unknown number at this point of time who promises her “the big story” if she answered some of the mysterious caller’s questions correctly. After answering all questions correctly Raagini finds out that “the big story” is nothing but the files related to Shastriji’s mysterious death. This is just the beginning. What does she do with those files? Who was the mysterious caller? And most importantly, Did Shastriji really die of a heart attack or was it a pre planned, well executed MURDER??? Watch the film to know the answers to all these questions and more.
Talking about the performances, all the actors have given justice to their respective roles and this undoubtedly is the key aspect due to which the film hooks the audience till the end. However, special references must certainly go to the following actors:
1) Shweta Basu Prasad as the journalist Raagini nails her role and you find yourself rooting for her as the film progresses. The zenith of her acting is seen during the climax when she gives her speech in front of the enquiry committee.
2)Pankaj Tripathi as Gangaram Jha has a very small role in the film. However, irrespective of this fact Pankaj manages to make his presence felt well in the film and some dialogues of his, provides goose bumps to the audience even after the movie ends.
3)Mithun Chakraborthy as the politician Shyam Sundar Tripathi does his job well too, although at times his acting felt a bit over the top especially towards the climax.
4)Pallavi Joshi essaying the role of renowned and absolutely uncompromising author and historian Aisha Ai Shah certainly deserves a special mention too. She essays her role with hardcore intensity and nails every bit of it.
However, amidst all the comments regarding the good performance by the star cast, it is indeed harshly surprising that Naseeruddin Shah doesn’t manage to create the charm he always does, in this film. His character becomes quite monotonous after a point of time and when compared with the other performances his character looks very dull.
Speaking about the direction, the Tashkent files isn’t a very fast paced thriller. It takes its time to unfold. Nevertheless, it certainly doesn’t bore you as the film contains a lot of subplots and new insights into Shastriji’s death keep coming up as the film progresses. However, if one doesn’t bother to pay attention to the content of the film it is certain to bore you. The Cinematography too is noteworthy and quite appreciable.
All the dialogues in the film are very straight forward with no philosophical or special meanings in them as such. However, the bare truth showcased in some of them hits you hard as a result of which the audience tend to remember the dialogues long after the film ends.
Although ‘The Tashkent Files’ accounts for an engrossing cinematic experience, the film isn’t completely free of demerits. Probably, the biggest demerit of the film is that it fails to delve deeper than it should have to the characters of actors like Naseeruddin Shah due to which the intended impact isn’t created. Seasoned, veteran actors like Shah have been misused and have been given a role very trivial in comparison to their calibre. The 2nd biggest demerit of the film is its below average music. There is a song in the film titled ‘Sab Chalta Hai’ which is very forgettable and better use of BGM could have improved the film’s impact on the audience.
Nevertheless, all the stated demerits in the film are well compensated with its spectacular climax due to which the film plays in the minds of the viewers long after its runtime.
Hence, to conclude with ‘The Tashkent Files’ is undoubtedly an extremely well researched, brave attempt by the makers in showcasing what really happened on the fatal day. If not for anything else watch the film as an Indian to get an idea about a chapter of history that was on the verge of being forgotten.
RATING: 4/5
