How did the Prime Minister Die?

Tashkent Files- Movie Review!

Forget the above question. Tell me in the first place, did you even know who our second Prime Minister was? Did you know he shares his birthday with the Father of Nation, Mahatma Gandhi? Well, to be very frank, I didn’t, till about last year. I don’t remember that our school too, taught this to us! 2nd October meant Bapu’s Birthday, a National Holiday, but not even a pinch of an idea- I had- that it is the birthday of Lal Bahadur Shastri, also. 

Tashkent Files is a well narrated political thriller that focuses on the mysterious death of Lal Bahadur Sahstri in Tashkent. The FILAM successfully portrays the references that have been sourced and researched to form a screenplay that is no-nonsense, non-toxic, and presents the viewers with a solid foundation of, ‘jago mohan pyare’- till when are you going to sleep?? 

The FILAM is an ensemble of some no-drama, good performances. The cast includes, Mithun Chakraborty, Naseeruddin Shah, Shweta Basu Prasad, Pallavi Joshi, Mandira bedi, Pankaj Tripathi, Rajesh Sharma, and everyone has been the part of the FILAM naturally, without overdoing it. It was a pleasure to watch Pallavi Joshi after a long time. Shweta Basu Prasad supports the screenplay quite nicely. As a young and aspiring journalist, who eventually falls into the trap of “FINDING THE TRUTH”, she has worked hard. I specifically liked the last sequence, where her character looks scared yet willing to stand for the truth.

The screenplay gave me goosebumps and jitters throughout. Some lines even made me jump on the couch. And I’m sure you would also do that. 

Tashkent Files is a tight slap on the face of democratic India. The movie released in 2019. I missed it then. I saw it now. The tragedy of our society lies in the fact that we do not want to watch sensible stuff. And even if we watch it, we appreciate it in such articles and then forget about them. 
Well, the FILAM has changed something inside me. It will change something in you too. Even if you are not a politically inclined person, do take out time to watch it. The movie has enough to give- aesthetically. Watch yourself and find out, how and why- “India was for sale”.