‘There
are
films,
documentaries
and
reportage
on
the
Internet
about
the
Godhra
riots.
But
whether
the
Sabarmati
Express
burned
in
an
accident
or
a
planned
attack,
what
was
the
truth?’
“Everyone
knows
about
9/11.
They
know
all
about
how
it
happened,
why
it
happened
and
who
made
it
happen.
But
we
Indians
don’t
know
the
biggest
moment
in
our
country
that
changed
our
political
thinking,”
says
Ekta
R
Kapoor,
explaining
why
she
chose
to
back
the
film
The
Sabarmati
Report.
Directed
by
Dheeraj
Sarna,
the
upcoming
political
thriller
promises
to
unearth
the
truth
behind
the
incident
on
the
Sabarmati
Express,
which
occurred
on
February
27,
2002,
near
the
Godhra
railway
station
in
Gujarat.
During
the
press
conference
promoting
the
film,
Ekta
said
the
movie
is
“inspired
by
true
event”
and
aims
to
highlight
the
beginning
phases
of
the
incident,
with
the
help
of
“intense
research”
based
on
the
documented
facts.
“We
are
telling
the
genesis
of
this
first
facet
without
undermining
the
other
facets.
Unfortunately,
this
facet,
how
it
all
started,
has
not
been
reported
enough,”
Ekta
added.
The
trailer
showcases
Vikrant
Massey
as
a
journalist
named
Samar
Kumar,
who
teams
up
with
a
fellow
reporter,
played
by
Raashii
Khanna,
and
a
star
anchor,
played
by
Riddhi
Dogra.
The
film
touches
upon
the
role
the
media
played
in
setting
a
narrative
during
the
live
coverage
of
the
tragedy.
Vikrant
stated
that
the
film
is
“relevant”
and
“very
important”
as
this
generation
does
not
know
the
history
of
the
incident.
“There
are
thousands
of
films,
documentaries
and
reportage
present
on
the
Internet
regarding
the
Godhra
riots.
But
whether
the
Sabarmati
Express
burned
in
an
accident
or
a
planned
attack,
what
was
the
truth?
You
all
have
phones
with
Internet,
and
can
look
for
yourself.
But
you
can’t
find
anything
about
this
tragedy,”
Vikrant
said.
Drawing
parallels
between
the
train
tragedy
and
the
September
11,
2001
terrorist
attacks
in
the
USA,
the
actor
pronounced,
“This
was
our
9/11
which
changed
our
socio-political
fabric
overnight.”
WATCH:
Vikrant
opens
up
about
The
Sabarmati
Report
Co-Producers
Amul
V
Mohan
and
Anshul
Mohan
called
Ekta
“gutsy”
for
backing
the
project.
Vikrant,
who
made
his
film
debut
in
Ekta’s
Lootera
in
2013,
reflected
on
his
long
professional
relationship
with
Kapoor.
The
Sabarmati
Report
marks
their
eighth
collaboration.
“When
I
didn’t
get
work
even
after
working
in
films,
it
was
Ekta
who
got
me
into
television,
and
it
was
Ektaa
again
who
got
me
out
of
the
TV
space
and
back
in
the
films.
And
this
time,
it
is
even
more
special
because
I
have
children,
relatives
at
my
place,
who
are
13-14
years
old,
but
they
don’t
know
about
Godhra.
This
makes
the
film
even
more
special,”
he
said.
As
seen
in
the
trailer,
the
film
also
upon
the
national
language
debate
as
Vikrant’s
character
puts
forward
a
case
for
the
Hindi
language.
Ekta
highlighted
that
it
was
the
time
when
speaking
in
local
languages
was
looked
down
upon
and
journalists
were
given
“preferential
treatment
based
on
the
language
they
spoke”.
WATCH:
Ekta
Kapoor
talks
about
of
the
bias
of
language
within
the
country
Raashii
Khanna
admits
she
was
initially
unsure
about
doing
this
film,
but
changed
her
mind
when
Ekta
and
Vikrant
got
attached
to
the
project.
WATCH:
Raashii
explains
how
playing
a
journalist
was
a
learning
experience
for
her”
Riddhi
Dogra
feels
her
character
is
the
“reflection
of
the
system”
and
represents
a
certain
group
of
journalists.
Ekta
Kapoor
quickly
calls
them:
“pseudo
liberals”.
WATCH:
Riddhi
Dogra
talks
about
her
character
in
The
Sabarmati
Report
When
Ekta
was
asked
what
if
the
film
triggers
communal
animosity
given
its
contentious
nature,
she
responded
that
the
film
is
“social
commentary”
and
as
makers,
they
have
approached
the
subject
respectfully.
“I
will
never
make
a
comment
about
any
religion
because
I’m
a
Hindu,
and
Hindu
means
you
are
secular,”
she
said.
She
clarified
that
the
team
has
not
sought
support
from
any
political
party.
“The
only
wing
here
is
the
wing
of
truth,
and
it’s
the
flight
of
that
wing.
Some
people
will
like
it,
some
people
will
not.
But
the
film
tells
the
true
story,
you
can’t
change
facts,”
she
said.
The
Sabarmati
Report
is
set
for
release
on
November
15.
