The Tough Road to Making a Movie
Recently, at a movie event for “Razakar,” Producer Gudur Narayan Reddy shared how hard it was to make the film. He talked about facing difficulties, especially from politicians who didn’t want the movie made.
Political Interference and Production Woes
Producer Gudur Narayan Reddy talked about his movie and said they faced a lot of problems while making it. He criticized a political party that tried to stop them from making the movie. He said the party, which was in power in the Telangana state government led by KCR (referring to Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao), first called themselves TRS (Telangana Rashtra Samithi) and then changed to BRS (Bharat Rashtra Samithi). They said they would do good things for the country but instead played politics here. They caused a lot of trouble. They thought we would blame them in the movie, but they are guilty in only one way, and that too in a big way, those party people.
Historical Context and Personal Beliefs
He also said , Nizam, who did bad things to his own people, tried to change their religion, and even though KCR went to his tomb and paid respects, we don’t do that. We don’t go to Nizam’s tomb or pay respects. Another thing he said is that Nizam’s father was Mehboob Ali Khan. We go to Mehboob Ali Khan’s tomb and pay respects because he was a very good, spiritual person who helped Hindus a lot and never harmed them. But Nizam, because of hunger and greed, they say it’s for the sake of the nation, they wanted to develop the country, but in Turkistan, due to hunger and money, they murdered and raped their own people. We see him as a sinner, and not as a follower of any other religion.
Keeping History Alive Through Cinema
Reddy talked about a lot of things. He mentioned that we’re upset with Mir Osman Ali Khan and Qasim Razvi. He wanted to bring out their stories and share them with the world. We need to keep those pages of history in front of young people like you so that you and your future generations can live in peace with the culture of Ganga and Jamuna. Everyone will stay like children of Mother India; that’s our interest, that’s our intuition, love for the present day, kids, because we are of the age of fathers and grandfathers, and we always have love for our children. Today, there are 100 crore young children in our country, and they don’t know about these stories and lack the patience to read or even search on Google. We need to present good quality cinema to them, where each character lives, and the actors bring those characters to life.
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s Legacy in Reddy’s Words
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was the protagonist, the man who unified the whole country. During his tenure, there were 565 princely states before independence. Twenty of them went to Pakistan, and 545 remained. Three survived independently, and 542 merged.
Tej Sapru’s Proud Journey
Tej’s journey into the world of acting has seen him portray various characters, but this role, portraying Sardar Patel, holds a special place in his heart. He mentioned how much help he got from the director, Yaata Satyanarayana, and the producer, Gudur Narayan Reddy, in understanding the role. Despite playing mostly negative roles before, Sapru saw portraying Patel as a significant challenge and a great opportunity.
A little about BRS, which is criticized by Reddy
The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (transl. Indian National Council; abbr. BRS), formerly known as Telangana Rashtra Samithi (abbr. TRS), is an Indian political party which is predominantly active in the state of Telangana and currently the primary opposition party in the state. It was founded on 27 April 2001 as by K. Chandrashekar Rao, with a single-point agenda of creating a separate Telangana state with Hyderabad as its capital. It has been instrumental in carrying forth a sustained agitation for the granting of statehood to Telangana.
Razakar Cast
The cast of this movie is truly exceptional, with each actor bringing their character to life with incredible depth and authenticity. From Bobby Simha as Rajireddy to Tej Sapru as Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, each actor did a fantastic job. Makarand Deshpande played Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan, and Raj Arjun portrayed Kasim Razvi with great skill. The dedication and effort put in by the whole team are clear in their performances. Annusriya Tripathi, Vedhika, Anasuya Bharadwaj, Indraja, Prema, Thalaivasal Vijay, Chandhu Nath Nair, Tarak Ponnappa, Arav Choudary, John Vijay, and Cheluva Raj all contributed brilliantly to make this movie special.
Razakar Release Date
Mark your calendars because this great movie, “Razakar: The Silent Genocide of Hyderabad,” is set for nationwide release on April 26, 2024. The poster boldly declares, “Janeo Todne Walo Ka Ghamand Todenge,” hinting at the defiance against oppression.
Based on the untold history of Hyderabad, the film sheds light on the dark period after India’s independence, when the British-controlled Hyderabad State remained under the Nizam’s rule, plagued by the ruthless Razakars. Simultaneously dubbed into Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam, the film’s synopsis unveils the harrowing struggle against oppression, portraying the atrocities committed by the Nizam and Razakars, contrasted by the valorous acts of those who dared to resist.