Film: The Sabarmati Report

Cast: Vikrant Massey, Rashi Khanna, Ridhhi Dogra, Barkha Singh

Director: Dheeraj Saran

Rating: 2 Moons

Vikrant Massey's film The Sabarmati Report is based on the horrific 2002 Godhra incident. The film begins with the Sabarmati Express packed with Ram devotees returning from Ayodhya catching fire and killing 59 innocent people. But as the story progresses, it exposes the complexity of journalism and politics.

At the center of the story is Samar Kumar (Vikrant Massey), a Hindi medium journalist influenced by the glamor of English journalism. Initially his character seems light-hearted and insensitive, but his life changes when he reports on the Godhra incident. Samar's truthful report is suppressed, and lies are promoted. His fight to expose this truth is the second part of the film. It shows his struggle with his colleague Amrita Gill (Rashi Khanna).

In The Sabarmati Report, the Chief Minister of Gujarat then is a woman, whereas in reality it was not so. For these changes, a disclaimer has been added that the film is inspired by true events, but at many places it seems factually weak. Vikrant Massey has once again proved his acting prowess. His character of a struggling journalist is impressive, but the character lacks depth. Riddhi Dogra is strong as a senior and rude journalist, while Rashi Khanna's work is also commendable.

The biggest weakness of the film is its screenplay and background music, which weaken the seriousness of the story. At the same time, the scenes of the fight between Hindi and English journalism seem unnecessary and irritating. The effort behind The Sabarmati Report is commendable, but the film is not completely successful in presenting the sensitivity of the Godhra incident and the truth of politics effectively. It definitely raises questions on journalism, but the story lacks edge.