The Tashkent Files Explained

The Tashkent Files
Director:Vivek Agnihotri
Screenplay:Vivek Agnihotri
Cinematography:Udaysingh Mohite
Editing:Sattyajit Gazmer
Distributor:Zee Studios
Runtime:144 minutes[1]
Country:India
Language:Hindi
Budget:[2]
Gross: [3]

The Tashkent Files – Who Killed Shastri? is a 2019 Indian Hindi-language thriller film about the death of former Prime Minister of India Lal Bahadur Shastri; written and directed by Vivek Agnihotri. The film stars Shweta Basu Prasad, Naseeruddin Shah, Mithun Chakraborty, Pankaj Tripathi, Pallavi Joshi, Prakash Belawadi and Mandira Bedi. It was released on 12 April 2019 to negative reviews but emerged as a box-office sleeper hit and received two National Film Awards.

Plot

A young journalist, Raagini Phule, whose career is threatened and looking for a scoop receives help from an anonymous informer which leads to the formation of a panel of experts by the government, which also includes Raagini, to investigate the truth about the mysterious death of India's former prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri. The collected information is scrutinised and debated over by the panel in an attempt to unravel the truth.

Production

The film was announced in January 2018 as India's first "crowd-sourced" thriller. Principal photography began in January 2018. In February 2018 he invited from the public any information, book, link or memory related to Lal Bahadur Shastri’s mysterious death in Tashkent to help him solve the 'decades old enigma' surrounding the death of former Prime Minister of India.[4] Books referenced for and referred in the film include Political Mysteries by K. R. Malkani, Conversations with the Crow by Gregory Douglas, and Mitrokhin Archive by Vasili Mitrokhin.[5]

Marketing and release

First poster was released on 19 March 2019, and on the same occasion, the release date was announced as 12 April 2019. The film was also simultaneously released on video on demand service ZEE5.[6] Agnihotri touted the film to be the first instalment of his trilogy of "untold stories of independent India", which is followed by The Kashmir Files (2022) and an upcoming film The Delhi Files.[7]

Reception

Critical response

The Tashkent Files received overwhelmingly negative reviews. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 0% approval rating based on 8 reviews.[8]

Devesh Sharma of Filmfare gave two and half stars out of five; it was a 'melodramatic' episode with loud and over the top acting coupled with bombastic dialogues. Sharma found the film to be biased against a certain political party and wondered about its release during the national elections, which were running concurrently.[9]

Writing for Scroll.in, Nandini Ramnath found it to be a politically motivated work that did not have any rigor and failed to be an effective conspiracy thriller.[10] Saibal Chatterjee, writing for NDTV rated the film with half star out of five — the research that went into the production was equivalent of a Google search film-making and overall, it was "junk."[11] Jyoti Sharma Bawa, reviewing for the Hindustan Times rated it one out of five stars and reiterated Chatterjee.[12] Mid-Day gave one and a half stars out of five — all the research that went into the work was derived from internet, esp. social media.[13]

A review over India Today rated it one out of five stars and noted it to be a politically motivated film that did not have any logic and might be easily dispensed with.[14] A review over The Hindu noted it to be an ideological slideshow that exploited Shastri's death to attack left, secular and socialist ideologies and institutions and though based on an engaging topic, was a 'hotch-potch of hearsay, juvenile arguments' that ultimately lend to utter confusion rather than any conviction.[15] Another review over News18 India rated it one out of five stars and noted it to be a politically motivated film with unconvincing arguments, that made for a dull watch.[16]

A review in The First Post asserted it to be a politically motivated film and rated it two out of five stars. Noting Agnihotri to neither have the finesse nor the potency to sketch a conspiracy thriller, the reviewer deemed it to be a cheap trick, that was high on hysteria but lacked logic amidst a focus-less frenzied storytelling that did not venture beyond the realms of Google.[17] A review in The Indian Express deemed it to be the ideal politically-motivated fiction for the 'post-truth, fake news era' — a series of eye-roll moments with unintentionally hilarious dialogues.[18] ThePrint found it to be a shoddy jab at film-making that harnessed a mish-mash of unformed characters and incomplete plots devoid of logic.[19] Bollywood Hungama gave one and a half stars out of five.[20]

Anusha Iyengar, reviewing for Times Now, gave two out of five stars, praising the story but taking issues with over-the-top dramatization that reeked of amateurish storytelling. Manavi Kapur, reviewing the film at Business Standard, found it unworthy for even a daytime opera slot.[21] Shilajit Mitra, reviewing for The New Indian Express remarked it to be an exhausting head-spin of a political propaganda, that became weirder with time.[22] Stutee Ghosh of The Quint found it to be a prejudiced, amateurish and cringe-worthy film with an uninspiring storytelling that banked on crowd-sourced research; she rated one star out of five.[23]

Box office

The film became a box-office sleeper hit.[24] [25]

Accolades

YearAwardCategoryRecipient(s)ResultRef.
2021National Film AwardsBest Supporting ActressPallavi Joshi[26]
Best DialoguesVivek Agnihotri[27]

Soundtrack

The Tashkent Files
Type:soundtrack
Artist:Rohit Sharma
Released:30 April 2019[28]
Recorded:2018
Genre:Feature film soundtrack
Length:19:03
Label:Zee Music Company
Prev Title:Anaarkali of Aarah
Prev Year:2017
Year:2019

The music of the film is composed by Rohit Sharma while the lyrics are penned by Aazad, Rohit Sharma and Vivek Agnihotri.

Who Killed Shastri?

Who Killed Shastri?: The Tashkent Files is a non-fiction book by director Vivek Agnihotri about his research for the film and outlines various theories about the death of Lal Bahadur Shastri. It was released in August 2020 by Bloomsbury India.[5]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: The Tashkent Files. 12 April 2019. Golden Village. 12 April 2019. 13 May 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190513103617/http://www.gv.com.sg/GVMovieDetails#/movie/4881. live.
  2. Web site: The Tashkent Files- Movie - Box Office India. boxofficeindia.com. 6 April 2018. 6 April 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180406231254/https://boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=5627. live.
  3. Web site: The Tashkent Files - Movie - Box Office India. boxofficeindia.com. 6 April 2018. 6 April 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180406231254/https://boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=5627. live.
  4. News: The Tashkent Files: Vivek Agnihotri urges fans to help solve Lal Bahadur Shastri's mysterious death. 8 February 2018. Times Now. 5 March 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180305202744/http://www.timesnownews.com/entertainment/news/bollywood-news/article/the-tashkent-files-vivek-agnihotri-lal-bahadur-shastri-death-public-appeal/196878. live.
  5. Web site: Who killed Lal Bahadur Shastri? . Dailyo . 15 June 2021 . 15 June 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210615031118/https://www.dailyo.in/politics/lal-bahadur-shastri-vivek-agnihotri-who-killed-shastri-tashkent-files/story/1/33519.html . live .
  6. Web site: The Tashkent Files . 2019-11-27 . ZEE5 . 27 November 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221127063727/https://www.zee5.com/movies/details/the-tashkent-files/0-0-73415 . live .
  7. News: 13 September 2021 . Vivek Agnihotri to complete trilogy, announces The Delhi Files . Cinema Express . 19 March 2022 . 19 March 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220319150913/https://www.cinemaexpress.com/hindi/news/2021/sep/13/vivek-agnihotri-to-complete-trilogy-announces-the-delhi-files-26602.html . live .
  8. Web site: The Tashkent Files . March 13, 2022 . . . 22 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220122073637/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_tashkent_files . live .
  9. Web site: Sharma . Devesh . Movie Review: The Tashkent Files . Filmfare . 12 April 2019 . 12 April 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190412052507/https://www.filmfare.com/reviews/bollywood-movies/movie-review-the-tashkent-files-33275.html . live .
  10. Web site: Ramnath . Nandini . 'The Tashkent Files' movie review: Vivek Agnihotri puts the hysterics into history . Scroll.in . 12 April 2019 . 12 April 2019 . 12 April 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190412054836/https://scroll.in/reel/919767/the-tashkent-files-movie-review-vivek-agnihotri-puts-the-hysterics-into-history . live .
  11. Web site: The Tashkent Files Movie Review: In A Word, Junk. 12 April 2019. NDTV. Saibal. Chatterjee. 12 April 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190412094311/https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/the-tashkent-files-movie-review-in-a-word-junk-1-2-a-star-out-of-5-2021923. live.
  12. Web site: 2019-04-12 . The Tashkent Files movie review: Disgusting propaganda where truth is a luxury . 2019-04-12 . Hindustantimes.com/ . 16 January 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200116104645/https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/the-tashkent-files-movie-review-disgusting-propaganda-where-truth-is-a-luxury/story-ksjYEOwRuFzwU1Uakl0DWI.html . live .
  13. Web site: 2019-04-13 . The Tashkent Files Movie Review: Juhu-Versova ka JFK . 2019-04-26 . mid-day . 26 April 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190426072354/https://www.mid-day.com/articles/the-tashkent-files-movie-review-juhu-versova-ka-jfk/20734153 . live .
  14. The Tashkent Files Movie Review: Vivek Agnihotri murders logic in Lal Bahadur Shastri death mystery. Samrudhi Ghosh . April 12, 2019 . India Today. 2019-04-12.
  15. News: 'The Tashkent Files' movie review: History in the time of conspiracies. Rosario. Kennith. 2019-04-12. The Hindu. 2019-04-12. 0971-751X. 20 September 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200920022944/https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/the-tashkent-files-movie-review/article26818036.ece. live.
  16. Web site: The Tashkent Files Movie Review: A Dull and Drab Conspiracy Theory Film. News18. 12 April 2019. 2019-04-12. 25 May 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190525041911/https://www.news18.com/news/movies/the-tashkent-files-movie-review-a-dull-and-drab-conspiracy-theory-film-2100029.html. live.
  17. Web site: The Tashkent Files movie review: High on hysteria and hamming, Vivek Agnihotri's film comes off as a cheap trick. 2019-04-12. Firstpost. 2019-04-12. 20 September 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190920214716/https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/tashkent-files-movie-review-high-on-hysteria-and-hamming-vivek-agnihotris-film-comes-off-as-a-cheap-trick-6435571.html. live.
  18. Web site: The Tashkent Files movie review: This Vivek Agnihotri film is a series of eye-roll moments. 2019-04-12. The Indian Express. 2019-04-12. 10 June 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200610180726/https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/the-tashkent-files-movie-review-5672255/. live.
  19. News: Vivek Agnihotri's Tashkent Files adds confusion to many conspiracies over Shastri's death. Pothukuchi. Madhavi. 12 April 2019. ThePrint. 12 April 2019. 12 April 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190412111958/https://theprint.in/opinion/vivek-agnihotris-tashkent-files-adds-confusion-to-many-conspiracies-over-shastris-death/220535/. live.
  20. Web site: The Tashkent Files Review 1.5/5 The Tashkent Files Movie Review The Tashkent Files 2019 Public Review. Hungama. Bollywood. Bollywood Hungama. 12 April 2019. 2019-04-12. 8 November 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221108150600/https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/the-tashkent-files/critic-review/the-tashkent-files-movie-review/. live.
  21. News: The Tashkent Files review: Bit of truth mixed with lies, presented as fact. Kapur. Manavi. 2019-04-12. Business Standard India. 2019-04-13. 25 August 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190825195346/https://www.business-standard.com/article/entertainment/the-tashkent-files-review-bit-of-truth-mixed-with-lies-presented-as-fact-119041201270_1.html. live.
  22. Web site: The Tashkent Files review: A tacky thriller that feels longer than the Cold War. Cinema Express. 2019-04-26. 9 August 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200809205222/https://www.cinemaexpress.com/reviews/hindi/2019/apr/12/nbspthe-tashkent-files-review-a-tacky-thriller-that-feels-longer-than-the-cold-war-11009.html. live.
  23. Web site: 'The Tashkent Files' – Prejudiced, Amateurish and Cringe-Worthy. 2019-04-12. The Quint. 2019-04-26. 26 April 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190426072745/https://www.thequint.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/the-tashkent-files-review-film-by-vivek-agnihotri-doesnt-solve-mystery-shashtri-death. live.
  24. Web site: 2019-07-19 . The Tashkent Files: Small-budget film's dream run at box office, completes 100 days . 2019-08-25 . The Financial Express . 4 October 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191004043902/https://www.financialexpress.com/entertainment/the-tashkent-files-small-budget-films-dream-run-at-box-office-completes-100-days/1649878/ . live .
  25. Web site: 2019-07-01 . Bollywood makes bank . 2019-08-25 . The Asian Age . 25 August 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190825041015/https://www.asianage.com/entertainment/bollywood/010719/bollywood-makes-bank.html . live .
  26. Web site: 2021-03-22 . Pallavi Joshi on National Film Award Win for Tashkent Files: This will Definitely Shut Critics Up . 2021-03-22 . News18 . en . 22 March 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210322181942/https://www.news18.com/news/movies/pallavi-joshi-on-national-film-award-win-for-tashkent-files-this-will-definitely-shut-critics-up-3562076.html . live .
  27. News: Exclusive! Vivek Agnihotri on National Award win for 'Tashkent Files': I dedicate this award to Shastriji - Times of India . 2021-03-22 . The Times of India . 22 March 2021 . en . 22 March 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210322231748/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/exclusive-vivek-agnihotri-on-national-award-win-for-tashkent-files-i-dedicate-this-award-to-shastriji/articleshow/81634483.cms . live .
  28. Web site: The Tashkent Files – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. 6 April 2019. Jio Saavn. 30 April 2019. 30 April 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190430170916/https://www.jiosaavn.com/album/the-tashkent-files/zCXk3HBXSiQ_. live.

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