Hyderabad: A poster launch event for the movie ‘Razakar- The Silent Genocide of Hyderabad’ was held in the city which saw the presence of senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders like Karimnagar MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar, former MP AP Jithendar Reddy, and former Maharashtra Governor C Vidyasagar Rao.
The movie is written and directed by Yata Satyanarayana and produced by BJP leader Guduru Narayana Rao under the banner of ‘Samarveer creations’ and promises to depict the ‘untold story’ of Razakar atrocities in the erstwhile Hyderabad state.
The makers are planning to launch the movie in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam.
Speaking at the event, the director said that the movie is not a history of religious conflict. “It is not made to create discontent among anybody,” he added, further quoting names of important Muslim figures like Sheikh Bandagi, Makdoom Moinuddin, and journalist Shoebullah Khan who fought against the ruling establishment during the period.
Appreciating the makers of the movie, Bandi Sanjay said that he wanted the producer to make ‘Patha Basthi Files (Old City is called Patha Basthi in Telugu) after getting inspired by ‘The Kashmir Files’ movie, the director-producer duo came up with a movie on the Razakars.
“While the makers of this film are stating that the Nizams were responsible for several atrocities, some show the Charminar, the Osmania Hospital, and the Osmania University and call the Nizam-Razakar rule a golden period. They are trying to portray that demon (The last Nizam) as a good civilized person. They don’t show real history because of vote bank politics,” he said, adding that ‘Pseudo Secular’ people don’t want it to upset certain communities.
(It is important to mention that while the Charminar was built by Sultan Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah of the Qutb Shahi dynasty in 1591, the Osmania Hospital (established in 1919 and the Osmania University (established in 1918) were built by the Asaf Jahi dynasty rulers. The Qutb Shahis have nothing to do with the Razakars.)
The BJP’s attempt to promote September 17 as the ‘Telangana Liberation Day’ has been mentioned several times by speakers throughout the event.
Who were Razakars?
The Razakars were the paramilitary volunteer force of the nationalist party in the Hyderabad state under Nizam’s rule. Formed in 1938 by the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen leader Bahadur Yar Jung they expanded considerably during the leadership of Qasim Razvi around the time of Indian independence.
They were deployed for the cause of maintaining Muslim rule in Hyderabad and resisting integration into India. They targeted Hindus as well as Muslims whose loyalty to the state was in question. They also fought communists who raised a revolution in the state.
After movies like ‘The Kashmir Files’ and ‘The Kerala Story’ which were seriously criticised for demonising the Muslim community (also actively promoted by BJP leaders- from state chief ministers to the Prime Minister), it is to be seen if this new movie will or will not compromise on facts in its attempt to unravel the ‘true history’.
