The Sabarmati Report’ : Purposeless Political Drama Saved Partly by Vikrant & Raashii Khanna

The producers of this movie are known for the raunchy 'Gandi Baat' series on their Alt Balaji OTT channel. Their latest film, securing a decent theatrical response, can be classified as 'Gandaa Propoganda'. Truly, The Sabarmati Report offers nothing new in terms of content or fact. Instead, it puts the entire blame of the Godhra incident reporting on one English TV channel, streaming from 'New Delhi' (Easy guess, right?!!).

While the Nanavati commission has long concluded that the 2002 burning of coach no. S6 of the Sabarmati Express at Godhra Station was a planned conspiracy and deliberate act of arson, the movie makes us believe that the aam junta is still oblivious to this fact and a certain news channel and its influencial "Angrezi" speaking journalist (Riddhi Dogra) is to blame for it.

C'mon guys, was only one TV channel in existence in 2002 and no other competitor broadcast a different point of view?!! Sorry but even in those times, the news hungry audience was feeded different ideological views from multiple channels, day in and day out. Therefore, it is quite pointless to blame the media, particularly when the court verdict is out on the Godhra matter and it is common knowledge that the train burning was NOT an accident!!

Of the cast, Vikrant Massey is impressive as the vernacular journalist, whose initial investigation report is trashed by his elite employer and he is promptly fired. The pretty and talented Raashii Khanna joins him later as they both set out to uncover the reality of the Godhra incident after five years. Admittedly, the film's biggest positive is the crackling chemistry between Massey and Khanna. At one point, a stressed Raashii casually asks for a ciggie and Vikrant offers his entire pack. It's a smile-inducing moment!! The rest of the cast are okey dokey.

The climactic train burning sequence is hurriedly wrapped up in just a couple of minutes and fails to evoke the desired goosebump impact on the audience!! In effect, the entire movie turns out to be a purposeless exercise. Oh yea, thats one word to sum it all up: Purposeless!!

Ratings on some key aspects* :
1. Acting : 3/5
2. Direction : 2/5
3. Music : 2/5
4. Story, Screenplay and Dialogue : 2.5/5
5. Cinematography : 3/5
6. Editing : 3/5
7. Costume Design : 2/5
8. Special Effects and VFX : NA
9. Action : NA
10. Production Quality : 3/5

#SNRating for #TheSabarmatiReport : 2 stars out of 5.

- Sumeet Nadkarni

* - The overall film rating is not a simple average of all ratings on key aspects but a weighted average of the ratings where some crucial aspects (like direction, acting, story and screenplay etc) are assigned more weightage than others.

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#SNRatings barometer:
1 star = Poor
1 & 1/2 star = Below average/ Avoidable
2 stars = Average
2 & 1/2 stars = Above average/ Risk it
3 stars = Good enough/ Endurable
3 & 1/2 stars = Definitely worth a watch
4 stars = Very good
5 stars = Masterpiece/ Outstanding.

2024 SNRatings.

About Sumeet Nadkarni:

Sumeet Nadkarni is a Chartered Accountant by profession and a self-styled film critic by passion. He reviews Bollywood movies and OTT releases on his popular personal blog #SNRatings. His film-related articles have appeared in leading publications in India. With a keen eye for cinematic detail and a knack for insightful critiques, Sumeet brings a unique perspective to the world of Indian cinema. Follow him for the latest Bollywood insights and unbiased film reviews. #FilmCritique #BollywoodReviewer

Also Read: Raashii Khanna on Her Upcoming Film The Sabarmati Report