In today’s age where historical facts and actual events are often used to create political narratives or propaganda films, it is not difficult to identify a fair and honest film. However, making such a film at such a time is no less than a big challenge for the director. It is here that director Avinash Arun makes his mark. When Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis released the trailer of ‘Prahar: The Untold Story of Ujjwal Nikam’, many feared that the film would follow the lines of some political films of today. But after watching the movie, this assumption is completely wrong.
Avoid promotional traps and sensitive guidance
The film is based on the life of India’s most talked about and famous Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam and the historic trial of Pakistani terrorist Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab, accused of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
Balanced approach: The 26/11 attacks were a painful national tragedy. The film depicts the gruesome murder of 189 innocent people by Kasab and his accomplices. But the greatest achievement of director Avinash Arun and producer Dinesh Vijan is that they did not let this story become a source of religious or political hatred.
Details of Court Argument: The film faithfully portrays real-life incidents such as calling Nikam a ‘terrorist lawyer’ during a heated argument with Kasab’s lawyer Abbas Kazmi (played by Sikandar Kher), reflecting the tensions and maneuvers of the courtroom.
The story and the story of Kasab
The film opens with a courtroom scene where Ujjwal Nikam (Rajkumar Rao) expresses anger that the real masterminds of the 1993 Mumbai blasts—Dawood Ibrahim, Tiger Memon and Pakistan’s ISI—have remained out of touch with the law until now. Immediately thereafter, the story focuses on the 26 November 2008 Mumbai attacks and Kasab’s trial.
The film brilliantly weaves together Nikam’s tactics, exposure of Pakistan’s terror network, Lashkar-e-Taiba’s role and Nikam’s sacrifice for his personal family life. The family subplot depicts the complex relationship between Nikam and his son. However, on certain occasions, scenes of Nikam advising the then Union and State Ministers and Pakistani diplomats make his character larger than life.
Strong acting: Rajkumar Rao, Jaideep Ahlawat and Lalit Prabhakar
The film’s greatest strength is the stellar acting by its star cast:
Rajkumar Rao (Ujwal Nikam): Rajkumar Rao, who played the role of a human rights lawyer in Shahid, has done a very comfortable and effective job as a tough, principled and fiery public prosecutor this time.
Jaideep Ahlawat (Chaudhry Zulfikar): The scenes between Jaideep Ahlawat and Rajkummar Rao as prosecutors of Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) are among the film’s best moments.
Lalit Prabhakar (Ajmal Kasab): Lalit Prabhakar has breathed life into the complex and terrifying character of Kasab. CST From the brutal scenes of indiscriminate shooting to the moments of remorse in the ‘egg cell’ of the prison, he succeeds in instilling both anger and hatred in the minds of the audience on screen.
Ritwik Sahore (son of Nikam): Ritwik Sahore also shows his excellent acting skills as the restless and struggling son.
Where was the gap left in the film?
While the film brutally portrays the horrors of the massacre at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CST), it seems to leave out an important historical aspect. The film does not find enough space for the exceptional and selfless sacrifice of Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Tukaram Omble, who managed to capture Kasab alive. If this moment was given a 2 minute scene, the film could have been more complete.
conclusion
Despite all the challenges, Avinash Arun has succeeded in making an honest, unbiased and mature film on a very sensitive and tragic event etched in the national memory. ‘Prahar’ neither creates unnecessary sensation nor harms communal harmony—it tells the true and bitter story of a legal battle.