5 Bollywood Films That Are Based On The Gujarat Riots Of 2002!

The Godhra train burning incident that led to the Gujarat riots of 2002, is a dark blotch in the history of a country which is proud of its diversity. While it took several years for the nation to get over the unrest caused by the Hindu Muslim riots in Gujarat, there are so many stories from the state that bring rushing back the horrors of the incident.  Some bold filmmakers in Bollywood tried to tell these stories in the films and even had to bear the brunt of touching the sensitive subject. Clearly a sore subject to be addressed, some of these films even got banned and others were targets of political outrage. Here is list of Bollywood films that dared to address the Gujarat communal riots.

Kai Po Che – Based on Chentan Bhagat’s novel, 3 Mistakes of My Life, it is a story of 3 friends, Omi, Ishaan and Govind, who start a cricket academy together and all is going till the Godhra train burning incident tarnished them politically and created communal differences between them.  The film was hard hitting and won several critical acclaims when it released in 2013.

Source: nytimes

Firaaq – Nandita Das’s multi starrer directorial debut from 2008 was a hard hitting film based directly on the aftermath of the Godhara riots and its effects on the life of ordinary people. The story is set in Gujarat one month after the riots and stars  Naseeruddin Shah, Deepti Naval, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Paresh Rawal, Sanjay Suri, Raghubir Yadav, Shahana Goswami, Amruta Subhash and Tisca Chopra.

Source: santabanta

Parzania – The film was Rahul Dholakia directorial debut in 2007. The film was based on a true story of a Parsi boy, Parzaan Pithawala (real boy’s name way Azhar Mody), who went missing after the 2002 Gulburg Society massacre. It traces the struggles of the family that is searching for their boy. The film stars Naseeruddin Shah and Sarika in the lead and was not released in Gujarat as the cinema owners refused to screen it given the sensitive subject.

Source: ppbzh.blogspot.com

Raees – Another Rahul Dholakia film, has a passing reference of the horrors of the riots in the film’s building climax. The film stars Shah Rukh Khan in the lead and is the story of a successful bootlegger in the dry state of Gujarat. The reference of the riots does change a lot in the buildup of the story.

Source: financialexpress

Chand Bujh Gaya – The film starring Faizal Khan and Shama Sikender is a 2005 Hindu – Muslim love story with a backdrop of the Godhra train burning incident and how it changes the life of these lovers forever. The film drew a lot of controversy and was even rejected a certificate due to its sensitive subject that was too fresh that time.

Source: musicindiaonline