Razakar: The Silent Genocide of Hyderabad is a 2024 Indian Telugu cinema film on ibomma that features a historical action drama movie directing by Yata Satyanarayana. The movie The Accurate Picture portrays an actual event linked to Operation Polo in the former Princely state of Hyderabad. Directed by Gudur Narayana Reddy under Samarveer Creation LLP the movie was released on March 15, 2024. It depicts an essential period after India’s freedom, it puts limelight on the sufferings and genocide at the hands of Nizam including the infamous Razakars.
The release has been shunned mostly for gross mishandling of caste system in the film, endorsement of right-wing Hindutva narrative and history twisting.
The shooting of this film takes place at Hyderabad state in the year immediately following India’s independence in 1947 and follows the tyranny of the Nizam and the fanatic organization Razakars. While the rest of India prepared to take its freedom the state of Hyderabad continued to be under the feudal rule of the Nizam who unleashed terror and oppression. Razakar shows the pain of the common man at the hands of Razakars and Nizam’s rule and the brutal fanaticism of the Razakars. The plot is set on the struggle of the oppressed people who fought against this oppression and struggled to liberate the state.
Aspect
Details
Title
Razakar: The Silent Genocide of Hyderabad
Release Date
March 15, 2024
Director
Yata Satyanarayana
Producer
Gudur Narayana Reddy
Genre
Historical Action Drama
Language
Telugu
Main Cast
Bobby Simha, Tej Sapru, Makarand Deshpande, Raj Arjun
Historical Event Depicted
Operation Polo (1948)
Criticism
Alleged distortion of history, promotion of right-wing narrative
Rating (South First)
2.5/5
Performances
It has got a star cast with Bobby Simha playing the role of Rajireddy, who does a fantastic job of portraying the leader of the masses against the Razakars. The show features a great actor Makarand Deshpande as Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan who gets the character to convey the rule of a dictator. Other important artists are Raj Arjun as Kasim Razvi, head of Razakars and Tej Sapru as Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel who spearheaded ‘Operation Polo.’ Other stars such as Vedhika, Anasuya Bharadwaj, and Prema offer acceptable acting that indeed makes the movie interesting.
Direction
The director Yata Satyanarayana accepts the task of telling a rather provocative historical event with a focus on action and drama. While the direction does effectively build suspense, the movie has been accused of being deliberately political, though it does so with considerable skill; the audience remains divided. Still, it seems that Satyanarayana has a big dream but the authenticity of the film has been criticized especially on how shows the Razakars and the political environment during the time.
Music and Cinematography
Even though the film’s music is composed by Bheems Ceciroleo, its choice supports and enhances its dramatic story using a forceful musical score that enforces the major scenes’ emotions. The cinematography here is impressive, and there are salvos of fluid action shots that give the sense of historical epic to the proceedings. Shooting in actual locations such as Ramoji Film City and actual environment locations of Hyderabad and Telangana brings period feeling in the movie.
Themes and Messages
Razakar is a story of the struggle for freedom, patriotism and rebellion. It depicts the struggle against oppression and extremism of the Nizam’s rule and the Razakars. The movie, however, has been criticized for portraying an agenda of right-wing Hindutva with no historicity and a blinders view of the historic past. The thematic concentration of the film on one narrative has prompted commentators on whether the film falsifies the realities of Operation Polo for commercial and political purposes.
Razakar: The Silent Genocide of Hyderabad is an epic historical action drama that tries to portray a politically sensitive event in India’s history after independence. Although it has effectively raised awareness about the incidents of Operation Polo, the portrayal of history and political messages have been appreciated and appreciated. While Blessed with a great cast and stunning visuals, For all its large-scale feel, the movie’s rather polarising plot escalates this issue to another level entirely.
