Few military operations evoke such polarized views as 1984's Operation Bluestar, former prime minister Shrimati Indira Gandhi's brainchild that wiped out controversial Sikh figure Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale, a propagator of Sikhism who had forcefully occupied Akali Takht inside the revered Golden Temple campus, but not before causing widespread disarray in Punjab. 4 months after Operation Bluestar, Indira Gandhi was eliminated by one of her own bodyguards in a move believed to be an act of political and religious provocation.
This triggered 1984 Sikh Riots, a somber episode, still rued upon for claiming thousands of innocents, including women and children in Delhi and elsewhere in India. Widely debated for causing the needless bloodied massacre and for a dispute in official figures concerning casualties, India still sighs heavily when remembering the 84 events. Now Soha Ali Khan and Vir Das are set to take India back on the unforgiving 1984 events in the upcoming film 31st October. Here's why you have to watch the movie.
In post-independent India, the 1984 Sikh riots was an event that still provokes tears and emotional misery. But a lot of what really happened at that time is part of the make believe and a matter of distorted facts. 31'st October will look to do justice to the truth with parameters of authenticity and rationality.
In the aftermath of Sikh riots, the then-Congress government called an immediate inquiry into the affair and as per the figures put forth by the Ministry of Home Affairs as per the Ahuja Committee, 2733 Sikhs were killed in Delhi from October 31 to November 7 ('84). Though the figures are still widely disputed for their accuracy and Sikh representative bodies suggest that figures in Delhi alone were in excess of 3000. The movie 31st October will attempt to reexamine the facts and present the bloodied affair on a fresh canvas.
India is widely regarded as a country possessing emotions, feelings, traditional values and sentimentality, values rapidly found disintegrating in a wider world stifled with ever increasing conflicts. But India also keeps history and matters of the past closely tucked in its heart and the unforgettable 1984 events are one such episode. It will be heart-wrenching to revisit the horrors of the lamentable 1984 Sikh riots and thanks to October 31, the movie will hopefully create a retelling of those accounts.
It is widely believed that Soha Ali Khan and Vir Das play a middle class Sikh couple residing in Delhi at the time of the traumatic 1984 events. 31st October will essay an emotionally moving and riveting tell-all through a refreshingly interesting cast of seasoned actors known for their choosiness in film scripts.
It is one thing to feel something for real and quite another to call it dramatic representation. But while most movies try to close the gap between myth and reality as best as possible, there are still chinks in the armour. But 31st October, a film by revered Marathi filmmaker Shivaji Lotan Patil is believed to move hearts, crush emotions and tell the truth - encompassed by the horror and tragedy of a very torrid affair.
31st October will do its best to not distort facts, if sources are to be believed. While serving unsolicited conclusions to a widely debated subject will only do more harm than good, the movie is believed to be a moving account of lives lost, hopes smashed, truth told and the plight of an innocent family caught between unruly events in 1984. This will not only augur well for a trip down memory lane regardless of how harsh it may be, it will be a fascinating and insightful journey, one that you might as well embark upon, if you are an Indian.
Thank god that there are movies that aren't just about usual run-of-the-mill (read overdone) stories featuring endless songs and dramas. The job of a real filmmaker is to inform audiences whilst entertaining them and for actors to move audiences instead of just cajoling them. 31st October through an interesting star-cast and tightly structured script, if sources are to be believed, will serve a refreshing slice of history.
The first song from Soha Ali Khan and Vir Das starrer 31st October has just been released. It is composed by Vijay Verma and sung by Mohammed Salamat. Lyricist Mehboob has penned what is believed to be a captivating number.
It is important that through movies such as 31st October, we all get to see a part of our past that's about a colossal high tide of human emotions and the wrecking it caused to so many lives. It will be an homage to people's irreparable suffering.
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