Hyderabad: The Students Islamic Organisation (SIO) Telangana has condemned the decision of the Telangana government to give Gaddar film award to ‘Razakar’, a Hindutva propaganda film presented as ‘true historical events’.
The film ‘Razakar’ was given the best historical film award at a ceremony held on Saturday night.
The SIO said that the state recognition of the propaganda film ‘Razakar’ is an insult of the history of Hyderabad and a motive towards communal polarisation and anti-Muslim hate.
It said that under the guise of cinema, this project, produced and promoted by BJP leaders, not merely distorts but creates ahistorical facts to vilify the Muslims of Hyderabad. It is a direct attack on the past and present – communal harmony and coexistence represented by Hyderabad. It presents an ahistorical and inflammatory portrayal, vilifying an entire community while overlooking historically documented large-scale episodes of violence, said Muhammad Faraz Ahmed, State President SIO Telangana.
He further said, “This decision by the Congress-led govt., under the CM, not only endorses but legitimises these dangerous propaganda narratives of fascist forces, thereby showcasing an open betrayal to the existence of heterogeneity in the state. Moreover, the use of ‘Gaddar’ in favour of a movie crafted to inflame communal sentiments with deeply anti-Muslim narrative is an insult to the memory of the revolutionary Gaddar, who stood for justice, equality and resistance to oppression.”
SIO Telangana urges the state government and key stakeholders to immediately revoke this recognition and disassociate from such divisive narratives. “We call upon all justice-driven organisations and individuals to act against this growing normalisation of hate. We also appeal to the citizens, especially the youth, to turn to verified, scholarly established historical narratives rather than accepting fabrications shaped through propaganda peddled by the sangh.”
‘Razakar’ was given not only the award for the ‘best feature film on history’ but its music director Bheems Ceciroleo adjudged best music director.
Despite objections from various quarters, ‘Razakar (Silent Genocide of Hyderabad)” was released last year.
The multilingual film produced by BJP leader Gudur Narayana Reddy was released in March last year in an attempt to use the controversy surrounding it for communal polarisation in the runup to Lok Sabha elections.
The movie claims to tell the story of the eponymous Muslim paramilitary troupe, the Razakars and an account of their brutality directed primarily towards Hindus in the erstwhile Hyderabad state. Set in the background of Hyderabad’s annexation to the Union of India, the movie explains Operation Polo, the involvement of former Deputy Prime Minister Vallabhai Patel and Hyderabad’s last Nizam Osman Ali Khan’s attempts to stay as an independent state’s ruler.
Razakars were the paramilitary volunteer force working with the Nizam government to keep Hyderabad State independent.
Hyderabad State, comprising Telangana and parts of present-day Karnataka and Maharashtra, acceded to Indian Union on September 17, 1948 after India’s military operation codenamed ‘Operation Polo’, which is popularly called ‘Police Action’.
