Hyderabad: The Telangana chapter of the Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) has urged Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to revoke the Gaddar award conferred on a movie produced by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Gudur Narayan Reddy.
The movie, ‘Razakar: Silent Genocide of Hyderabad’, is on the paramilitary wing Razakar which was active during the Nizam’s rule in the erstwhile Hyderabad state.
In a press conference Wednesday, the APCR sought the reassessment of the award selection process to ensure “alignment with principles of historical accuracy and social unity”. It also sought a public statement from Revanth clarifying his government’s position on endorsing a film, which “distorts history and promotes communal disharmony through a state-backed award named after Gaddar”.
Born as Gummadi Vithal Rao in 1949, Gaddar was a former Naxalite-turned-social activist who became associated with the Telangana statehood movement. The balladeer passed away in 2023.
APCR members took exception to his name being associated with a movie produced by a BJP leader, and one which purportedly paints the Muslims in a negative light.
“This action is critical to restore the integrity of the Gaddar Awards, honour the secular and revolutionary legacy of Gaddar, and address the hurt caused to Telangana’s secular communities which want to protect its Ganga Jamuni Tehzeeb (read, syncretic ethos),” the APCR said, seeking revocation of the award,
Last week, the Congress government-instituted Telangana Gaddar Film Awards gave the movie an award under the ‘Environment/Heritage/History’ category. It was given three awards—feature film on environment/heritage/ history; best makeup artist, and best music director.
This, the APCR members said, is a “profound insult to the legacy of legendary communist leader and balladeer Gaddar who dedicated his life to secular values and the upliftment of marginalised communities.”
They said that the movie blatantly contradicts the Gaddar Awards, which was instituted to celebrate cinematic excellence and cultural integrity. “The film presents a selective and distorted portrayal of history, reducing the complex Telangana Armed Struggle (1946-51) to a communal Hindu-Muslim narrative,” the APCR stated.
Originally slated ahead of the 2023 Telangana polls, the movie was released before the 2024 general elections. BJP’s Narayan Reddy was accused of creating communal disharmony by portraying the entire Muslim community as anti-Hindu.
The Congress party, the association said, opposed the movie before its release due to the divisive content and now endorsed it through the state-backed award. “This contradictory stance has deeply hurt the sentiments of Muslims and secular-minded people across Telangana, who view the awards as an endorsement of communal propaganda.”
Meanwhile, a senior functionary of the Telangana Congress Pradesh Committee (TPCC) said that such episode would only distance the minorities from the party. “Many already take swipe at CM Revanth Reddy by calling him an RSS agent due to his ABVP days. This will only add to it,” he told ThePrint.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
Also Read: Congress in Telangana gave award to Razakar—a propaganda film that demonises Muslims
Mr. Lasania seems to be distraught over the fact that a film director chose to portray the truth about the brutal and inhuman oppression suffered by Hindus in the erstwhile state of Hyderabad at the hands of the dreaded Razakars of the Nizam.
The thousands of Hindu women gangraped in full public view and the thousands of Hindu men murdered and their dead bodies piled up in village centres as a macabre tactic of humiliation enforcing “loyalty” to the Nizam.
The few who dared to resist were brutally tortured and murdered and left hanging on public squares as a message to the masses.
Mr. Yunus Lasania, taking advantage of the platform provided by The Print, has made shrill calls to discredit the movie and it’s director.
Just because the truth isn’t palatable to him and others of his ilk, he wants the well deserved award withdrawn.
Who the hell is this civil rights body that seeks to whitewash the attrocties committed by blood thirsty Razakars on people of Telangana State? Everyone knows the truth and I feel the movie has shown just about 10% of what really happened. Most of those who held this Press Meet are Urban Naxals and Govt of India should keep a tab on their activities.