“For a nation like India, which has a Constitution even for a terrorist, the fair trial approach for a dreaded terrorist will be written in the pages of history, and for a country like Pakistan where terrorist is the constitution will remember this case for years to come”, says leading Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam. Bollywood loves to explore real-life incidences which are etched firmly in the public memory. In this context, the 26/11 incident when the country’s industrial capital was under attack, has been highlighted through documentaries and films a number of times before. But the ‘behind-the-scene’ story, the trial of the dreaded terrorist Ajmal Kasab, the sole member from the gang of terrorists who had infiltrated the financial capital and spread mayhem, had not been explored. And it is this story that producer Dinesh Vijan (Maddock Films) & Jio Studios and director Avinash Arun bring to life. Prahaar: The Untold Story of Ujjwal Nikam brings the courtroom trial of the lone terrorist, Mohd Ajmal Amir Kasab, captured alive following the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.

 

The opening shot is a celebration of the trial of all accused involved in Mumbai 1993 blast case and this follows Ujjwal Nikam’s (Rajkummar Rao) appointment as a public prosecutor in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack. As he ably builds a case against Kasab, he faces Abbas Kazmi (Sikandar Kher), the only lawyer willing to represent the captured terrorist. What follows next are arguments and counter arguments and one really wonders when we have all the evidence, CCTV footage of the man responsible for taking so many innocent lives, why is the judicial system taking so long to prosecute him. Why not a fast-track trial, when the country is simmering for justice? Nikam answers this in an apt manner in the court.

 

“If justice delayed is justice denied, then justice hurried can be justice buried”. Meanwhile Nikam is also fighting personal battles - with wife Jyoti (Wamiqa Gabbi), a cancer patient, and his equation with son Aniket (Ritvik Sahore) is also flawed as Aniket is dejected by his father’s prolonged absences. How Nikam navigates the courtroom battle and ultimately seeks justice for the victims forms the rest of the story. Director Avinash Arun and writer Sumit Roy have done a superb job in executing the emotion - in the right measures - to convey a story that is still fresh in people’s mind. Prahaar is a story very ably made to draw home the point where people are brainwashed in the name of religion. When Kasab hears the Azaan (call for prayer), he asks the guard what it is and he says, “Aaj Eid hai” to which he asks, “Kya Hindustan mein Eid manayi jaati hai”.

 

The guard is shocked at his question and replies “Yeda hai kya, yahan sab tyohaar manaya jaata hai, puri azaadi se and mil jul kar”. This is not a conventional India Vs Pakistan narrative that relies on religious fault lines to make a point, but it elaborates on the system, the lengthy chargesheets filed, emotional toll of the surviving families where a 10-year-old girl is witness to the mayhem at CST, and the mind games that Kasab was playing with the system and what finally bends him has been handled very sensitively. The first half is crisp and sharp, building up the tension of the high-profile case and moves towards a compelling second half.

 

There’s also Jaideep Ahlawat as Pakistani prosecutor Zulfiqar Ali, who is also fighting the system and is a treat to watch in a short role. The man carrying the entire premise on his able shoulders is Rajkummar Rao. He will never let you lose focus from the movie. There are moments where you can feel his dejection, his pain, his anguish, but still firmly holding the ground and believing in the system and its ways to uphold justice. A special mention to Lalit Prabhakar, as Kasab, his body language, his eyes and his overall presence makes you issue shoot-at-sight orders and the last scene where he is asked of his last wish before hanging is very effective. Wamiqa Gabbi as Nikam’s wife is also convincing. Rest of the cast, Sikandar Kher, Ashish Vidyarthi and various police officers have added warmth and genuineness to the narration. 26/11 is not merely a date etched in our nation’s history; it is a wound that time may soften, but can never truly erase it. Such a tragedy needs an emotional storytelling that understands the weight of lives lost, the courage that rose amid chaos, and the grief that continues to echo through generations. Prahaar rises to this responsibility with remarkable sensitivity, reminding us that some stories are not meant merely to be told, but to be remembered, honoured and carried in our collective conscience for the world to see us as a nation which responds ably, effectively and mindfully when it comes to terrorism! A must watch for Rao’s best work! The