Identifying a fair film
Nowadays, when historical facts and real events are being used to create political narratives or propaganda films, it has become difficult to recognize an unbiased and honest film. However, making such a film in this environment is a big challenge for the director. Avinash Arun accepts this challenge. When Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis released the trailer of 'Prahar: The Untold Story of Ujjwal Nikam', many feared that the film would be like recent political films. But after watching the film this assumption proves wrong.
Avoidance of propaganda and sensitive guidance
The film is based on the life of India's renowned special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam and the historic trial of 26/11 Mumbai terror attack convict Mohammad Ajmal Aamir Kasab.
balanced approach
The 26/11 attacks were a tragic national tragedy. The film depicts the horrific scene of murder of 189 innocent people by Kasab and his associates. But the biggest achievement of director Avinash Arun and producer Dinesh Vijan is that they did not allow this story to become a medium of religious or political hatred.
intricacies of court debate
The film faithfully depicts real events such as Nikam calling him a 'terrorist lawyer' during a heated argument with Kasab's lawyer Abbas Kazmi (played by Sikandar Kher), highlighting the courtroom tension and tactics.
Story and Kasab's case
The film begins with a courtroom scene, where Ujjwal Nikam (Rajkummar Rao) expresses anger over the real masterminds of the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts—Dawood Ibrahim, Tiger Memon and Pakistan's ISI—so far being out of touch with the law. The story then focuses on the Mumbai attacks of 26 November 2008 and Kasab's trial.
strong acting
The film's biggest strength is the stellar acting by its star cast:
Rajkumar Rao (Ujjwal Nikam): Rajkummar Rao, who played the role of a human rights lawyer in 'Shahid', has done an excellent job this time as a strict and flamboyant government lawyer.
Jaideep Ahlawat (Chaudhary Zulfikar): The scenes between Jaideep Ahlawat and Rajkummar Rao as public prosecutors of Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) are one of the best moments of the film.
Lalit Prabhakar (Ajmal Kasab): Lalit Prabhakar has breathed life into the complex character of Kasab. From the shootout scenes at CST to the moments of remorse in jail, they have been successful in generating both anger and hatred in the audience.
Ritwik Sahore (son of Nikam): Ritwik Sahore has also shown his excellent acting ability as the uneasy and struggling son.
lack of film
While the film brutally depicts the horrors of the CST massacre, an important historical aspect seems to be left out. The sacrifice of Assistant Sub-Inspector Tukaram Omble, thanks to whom Kasab could be captured alive, did not get enough space in the film. If this moment had been given a 2 minute scene, the film would have been more complete.
conclusion
Despite all the challenges, Avinash Arun has succeeded in making an honest, fair and mature film on a sensitive and tragic event etched in the national memory. 'Prahar' neither creates unnecessary sensationalism nor harms communal harmony—it tells the true and bitter story of a legal battle.