L2: Empuraan, the second instalment of Malayalam actor-director Prithviraj's ambitious 'Lucifer' franchise, recently made headlines for various reasons. One such reason was that the film's narrative involved covert references to the Gujarat riots of 2002, which many right-wing organisations considered to be in poor taste.
Mounting pressure from these organisations led to a proposal to cut or change as many as 24 contentious sections in the film that evoke the 2002 events.
The Godhra train burning of 2002 killed 59, leading to communal riots in Gujarat that killed hundreds more. Although the cause of the fire remains disputed, fault lines from the damage run deep, making it a sensitive issue from India's past.
Here are five interesting films that have tried incorporating the riots into their narrative:
Firaaq (2008)
A tense drama directed by Nandita Das, this film features gripping performances by Naseeruddin Shah and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. One of Nandita Das' more underrated works, this film deftly examines the lives of ordinary people on both sides of the contemporary communal divide caused by the Gujarat riots.
Final Solution (2004)
A feature-length documentary that earned filmmaker Rakesh Sharma his first and only National Award, the film makes excellent use of the handheld camera as an investigative tool to depict the terrible price of communal riots.
Parzania (2007)
Understandably banned in Gujarat, this Naseeruddin Shah-starrer is based on the real-life disappearance of Azhar "Parzan" Mody, a teenager, following the Godhra train burning of 2002. Despite being a sensitively-told story, it was subject to harsh criticism at the time of its release.
Accident or Conspiracy: Godhra (2024)
A reiteration of the Godhra riots story from the perspective of the Nanavati Commission, this film was subjected to numerous edits before its release. Despite its average box office performance, it does contain some performances worth watching.
Chand Bujh Gaya (2005)
This is a romantic thriller set in the backdrop of the Godhra incident, spinning a Bollywood tale of two star-crossed lovers around it. At one point, the CBFC rejected the film due to the villain bearing similarities to PM Modi, then the Gujarat CM.
