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After centuries of battles and struggles of various forms, India got rid of British rule. It was a moment of joy for all Indians, but it was tempered by the massacre of nearly ten lakh people in Punjab and Bengal — two regions which were partitioned between India and Pakistan. This is a fact that is well-known to the world. Over a period, many people, who migrated to India from Pakistan made several movies on the horrors of partition immortalising its effects in the minds of people.A massacre of a similar kind was being perpetrated down south in Deccan. While Punjab and Bengal burnt days ahead of Sir Cyril Radcliffe set out his pen to draw a line dividing a civilisational India, Hyderabad was on a slow burn for several decades.Ever since the British forced the Nizam to have an elected government, the fear of the majority community took root in the princely state. Baby steps taken by Bahadur Yar Jung by establishing Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen to assert the primacy of Muslims in the power dynamics made Hindus second-class subjects and ignited the flame of freedom in Hyderabad.Kasim Rizvi took this trend further by espousing a militant organisation called Razakars, who massacred Hindus and raped Hindu women. Thousands of Hindus were driven away into areas that are not under the Nizam rule. But none of these incidents made way to popular narrative. Perhaps, because those who lived these horrors never made it to power in politics or cinema after the formation of Andhra Pradesh.A serious attempt, however, has been made by Gudur Narayan Reddy’s movie ‘Razakar: The Silent Genocide of Hyderabad’, released on March 15, to revisit atrocities perpetrated by Razakars. Directed by Yaata Satyanarayana, the movie primarily focuses on three aspects — one, narrating atrocities of Razakars across Hyderabad State, two, people’s resistance against Razakar terrorists and three, India’s armed action to end Nizam rule in Hyderabad.As the movie retells the struggle of people living in different areas of Hyderabad State, the characters of the Nizam, Kasim Rizvi, Sardar Patel, and K.M. Munshi take a predominant screen time. Though the character of Kasim Rizvi, the anti-hero and central to the plot, its portrayal appears comical. The role of K.M. Munshi has been reduced to a postman for Sardar Patel, though he played an active role in formulating policies.The movie also depicts several gory incidents such as Razakars hanging the intestines of a cow at a house of an Arya Samaj follower. The atrocities of Razakars against women have been particularly highlighted in the movie. In such scenes, Razakars attack women, who were celebrating Bathukamma, and disrobe them in front of other men.The director, however, has showcased a few bold scenes to show people’s rebellion. In such scenes, a hapless woman kills a Razakar with a plough and holds his body high in an act of defiance. In another scene, a bull charges on Razakars when they attack an Arya Samaj follower, who reconverts a Brahmin family which was forced to accept Islam under duress. In another scene, people display their patriotic fervour for India and defiance for the Razakars by hoisting the Indian National Flag at the cost of their lives.Though the movie could be labelled a political project, one of its songs rightly credits Hyderabad’s freedom struggle to Communists, Arya Samaj and State Congress. Another charge that might be levelled against the movie could be that it disturbs peace between communities by raking up the unpleasant past. To counter this movie, some people may highlight the popular revolt against Muslims across Hyderabad State after the police action. However, any peace that is achieved without accepting historical responsibility of the past would be short-lived. The movie Razakars tells people what was swept under the carpet for nearly 80 years.
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