FILM REVIEW: Accident or Conspiracy: Godhra

Suddenly, two movies based on the Godhra incident were in the news last year. 'The Sabarmati Report' by Vikrant Massey and Riddhi Dogra, and 'Accident and Conspiracy Godhra' were the two. The titles of both make it obvious that they will both be based on investigative reports and that the Godhra incident—the burning of the Sabarmati train—would be the main focus rather than the Gujarat riots. Given the circumstances, a few scenes from "The Sabarmati Report" are being reshot, even though Godhra was released on the 19th. Regardless of the film's box office performance, one thing is for sure: it will undoubtedly bring the incident at the Godhra station to the attention of the general public for the first time. This incident has had a long-standing and ongoing impact on Indian politics.

The film's budget was obviously modest, but the director and producer were fairly optimistic about the picture and that he would be able to make his point. Since the movie's title is Accident or Conspiracy, the director will ultimately have to choose a decision and may come under fire for taking a biased stance. In spite of this, the film's design ensures that the audience will witness numerous errors made by the Hindu side prior to the conclusion. Similar to what happened in "Tashkent Files," the tale was fabricated under the guise of the Nanavati Mehta Commission hearing into the Godhra incident, although those individuals were chatting among themselves. It was also decided to construct a character similar to Krishna from "Kashmir Files" who wishes to investigate this subject but is swayed by the opposing side because he is unaware of the truth about the Godhra tragedy.

Attorney Mahmood Qureshi (Ranvir Shorey) is attempting to convince the commission that the Godhra tragedy was an accident, while attorney Ravindra Pandya (Manoj Joshi) is attempting to show that it was a carefully thought-out plot. Mahmood Qureshi uses two witnesses to make a sensation right away. One witness is a tea vendor at the station, who describes how the karsevaks mistreated and threatened her when she asked for tea, not paying for it. A girl who testified as the second witness described to the commission how she was harassed and mistreated by the karsevaks on the platform. Subsequently, he brought a third witness who was riding in the adjacent carriage, shocking everyone. She said that the karsevaks were seated in carriage S-6, and she could smell something combustible. Mahmood Qureshi asserted that the fire must have been started by the kerosene the karsevaks were carrying along with the stove.

The fact that Ravindra Pandya, the second lawyer, was unable to raise any questions in front of these witnesses suggests that the Godhra tragedy was not a simple one. This story revolves around the family of station master Deshpande (Hitu Kanodia), who was on leave that day and whose wife Devki (Denisha Ghumra) and son were also returning from Ayodhya in the Sabarmati train. The story starts when a student at the college where he teaches begs permission to conduct research on the Gujarat riots after he quits his job in the railways following this incident. However, the Godhra movie would not be the same without the media.

The opening scene, in which Ravindra Pandya confronts a well-known female TV presenter for her biased coverage of the Gujarat riots, is sufficient to illustrate the role that some media figures played at the time. Ultimately, it was fascinating to observe how Ravindra Pandya refutes every claim made by Qureshi one by one. However, witnessing 59 people burn alive in the train during the climax was horrible, especially after learning that 10 children and 27 women had also perished in the fire. The film's significance, nevertheless, comes solely from the fact that it can inform viewers of what transpired and whether it was an accident or a plot in just 2.5 hours.

Nobody in the nation is even aware of the names of the individuals who perished in the Godhra train tragedy as of right now. In light of the circumstances, this film serves as a creative record to preserve the terrible event that is now a part of history. The movie won't be able to reach that level of popularity because of its small star cast and low budget, but it still had to be made.