The 2024 historical drama Razakar was conferred with the Best Film on History award at the recently-held Telangana Gaddar Film Awards. The decision sparked outrage among many, with many civil society members of Telangana now coming forward in protest as they wrote a letter to Congress government in Telangana, demanding that the award be revoked.
In the letter, the civil society members stated that the film, which claims to tell the untold story of Hyderabad state liberation in post-independence India, ignored more crucial nuanced chapters of the Telangana Peasant Rebellion and cases of cased-based oppression, instead portraying the chain of events as one built around religious persecution. The members also accused the film of actively fuelling ‘communal enmity and violence, further deepening social divides.’
In addition, the civil society also claimed that Razakar is in violation of one of the major tenets of Gaddar Awards, specifically provision 21 which states that provision 21 of the Gaddar Telangana Film Awards Regulations, 2024, which clearly states, “The jury must not consider films that disrupt communal harmony and cultural integrity.” It is to be noted that Razakar was produced by Gudur Narayana Reddy, a known BJP Leader, and directed by Yata Satyanarayana.
The letter demanded that the Gaddar award given to Razakar must be withdrawn with immediate effect, further requesting the government to initiate an enquiry about the approval process of the said award. The letter was addressed to Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, Cinematography Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy and Telangana State Film Development Corporation MD Dil Raju.
