Was Lal Bahadur Shastri really poisoned to death?

Film: The Tashkent Records

Director: Vivek Agnihotri

Performers: Naseeruddin Shah, Mithun Chakraborty, Shweta Basu Prasad, Pankaj Tripathi, Mandira Bedi, Pallavi Joshi

Records Led by Vivek Agnihotri is the nth film issue based on the current and past political charade, but he takes the trouble to support his conclusion on credible evidence. The film contains a disclaimer stating that they can not prove the authenticity of the documents or theories used in the film.

Therefore, even if you really can not believe or believe what the film says, the Tashkent files only reveal the truth. The death of the second Indian Prime Minister while it takes a U-turn to establish that, ten years after his death, India was successfully colonized by a group of people, aka the ruling party, who had benefited from his untimely death.

The death of Lal Bahadur Shastri occurred one day after the signing of the peace treaty between India and Pakistan during his stay in Tashkent in the former Soviet Union on January 11, 1996. The mystery has led to many theories of conspiracy and Vivek takes a crazy look, through this story told by the journalist Ragini. (Shweta Basu Prasad) The film is dedicated to all honest journalists, but we do not see any of them in the movie.

As if the heavy work was not enough to attract the public, Agnihotri adds an exciting aspect to the film. Ragini, who is known for writing fake news in need of taste and retweets, has 9 days to bring good coverage. Cue, an unknown interlocutor responsible for distributing all the information documented and processed in order to present a story.

Ragini's front-page report leads the government to form a committee and present the truth to the public. Committee sessions where historians, social workers, judges and even ex-Chief Raw seem to come out of the discussion in Parliament or incite children to argue over who initiated the fight. While everyone plays the game of blame, Ragini is left to herself, sacked and caught between two political games, but she is left alone to find the clues.

The directors have done extensive research and the actors are also playing their impeccable role. , but what is missing from the film is the dramatic scenario of the second half. The first half of the film runs smoothly, Shweta dominating the screen, but long pauses, dramatic explosions and insults in the second half make it hard to take the film.

Unilateral journalism is served on a silver platter. from the beginning, which becomes obsolete when we come to the end of the 144-minute film. The strength and heart needed to present a story like "The Post" of 2018 and "Spotlight" of 2015 do not appear in "The Tashkent Files".

Verdict: A flawed journalist falls prey to a political agenda a bit like all of us today.