The Sabarmati Report Review: Must watch movie for every Indian to know the truth of 2002 famous Godhra train incident despite flaws
The Sabarmati Report Movie Rating: 3.5 Stars
Watched The Sabarmati Report movie in Hindi in Cinema. Let’s focus on the complete details, story, positive/negatives and at last my personal view on this movie.
Cast: Vikrant Massey, Raashii Khanna and Riddhi Dogra
Director: Dheeraj Sarna
Release Date: 14th November 2024 in cinema
Story: The story is based on real incidents that happened in 2002 and shook the entire nation. Godhra train incident provides an analysis of the events leading up to and following the tragic attack on the Sabarmati Express on February 27, 2002, in which 59 people mostly Hindu pilgrims were killed when a coach of the train was set on fire.
Samar (Vikrant Massey) is a small time Hindi movie reporter who works for EBT News. He along with famous news presenter Manika Rajpurohit (Ridhi Dogra) go to Godhra, Gujarat to cover the 2002 Sabarmati Express Train Burning Mishap. Samar is surprised by how Manika changes the entire narrative around the Godhra Incident. Samar’s independent Hindi report which he made at the scene, highlighting the horrors of those wounded in the Godhra Incident, is quashed by the news company because it doesn’t serve them well.
He secretly asks the video archivist to preserve his report and give it to a reporter at EBT News who really wants to bring out the truth due to which je is fired from his job and not hired by any media company because of his poor reputation. Even his girlfriend Shloka (Barkha Singh) left him. He has to take up odd dubbing jobs to sustain. His respect for journalism is at an all-time low.
5 years later, Amrita Gill (Raashii Khanna) joins EBT and is a fan girl of Manika. Manika and Raman realize that the sitting chief minister of Gujarat will be re-elected. As part of the plans to get into his good books, they decide to get Amrita to do a follow-up story on the Godhra episode. While going through the archives, Amrita stumbles upon Samar’s hospital footage. She realizes that it’s contrary to the rest of the investigation conducted by Manika on the incident.
Samar finds himself in a very strange position because of his hate for journalism but his urge to still bring out the truth. He also doesn’t know whether Amrita is really on his side or is still fangirling Manika her inspiration to take up journalism. Does the truth of the Godhra Incident come out or EBT News is too powerful to let the news out?
Positives
1. Performances
2. Cinematography
3. Background music
4. Story
5. Direction
6. Dialogues
Negatives
1. Length
2. Songs
3. Screenplay in 2nd half
4. Climax
Durgesh Tiwary’s View: When I watched the trailer of this film planned to watch this movie in cinemas as loved the trailer and always liked movies based on true events. A journalist investigates the 2002 Godhra train burning in Gujarat. Years later, another reporter discovers his hidden report. They uncover a conspiracy involving powerful figures, facing threats as they pursue the truth.
The Sabarmati Report delves into the tragic Godhra incident, where 59 passengers aboard the Sabarmati Express lost their lives in 2002. With a crisp two-hour runtime, the film manages to keep viewers engaged for the most part. The film seeks to challenge traditional narratives, suggesting that history has often been shaped by biased perspectives and calling for a re-evaluation. The film comprehensively covers all angles. As you join the reporters in their quest for truth, the film becomes an immersive experience. For those unfamiliar with this landmark case, the movie serves as an informative document. Director Dheeraj Sarna does well in keeping the movie tightly bound within a two-hour runtime, successfully maintaining engagement and moving the plot forward with a focused pace. However, the film could have benefited from a stronger emotional connection, as adding more depth in this area would have made it even more impactful. Vikrant Massey delivers an authentic portrayal of Samar Kumar, capturing the essence of an honest reporter with skill and sincerity. Raashi Khanna as Amrita also gives a solid performance, but it’s Ridhi Dogra as Mahika as a ruthless, manipulative journalist—who truly commands attention. 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.
On the flipside, unfortunately, a more grounded and realistic portrayal could have made it far more compelling. The story is one-sided and doesn’t cover all aspects of the episode. The screenplay is lopsided as the writers haven’t gone into the reason why members of a community set the train bogie afire. The aftermath of the Godhra incident has also not at all been discussed. Likewise, it is not clarified who dragged Samar Kumar to court and why. A major minus point for the audience is that since the horrific incident had made headline news for days together when it transpired, there is no novelty in the drama for all those who were witness to those headlines. The ending is hurried and also not very convincing, especially the portion in which Amrita starts recording her story without approval from her seniors. Every conflict through the course of the film, tries building on a specific narrative, thus trying to make its intentions very clear. There are few randomly added scenes which have no correlation to the matter at hand. Overall movie holds viewer attention through most of its runtime, but its slightly glossy treatment makes it feel less like a film based on true events and more like a typical commercial drama. While it succeeds in educating audiences about the lasting impact of this tragic incident, the cinematic embellishments somewhat dilute its authenticity. My view on this movie Highly recommended.
For more Movies and Cricket updates visit my page on Facebook Durgesh Tiwary’s View and website Cricket Movie Website