Hyderabad: The Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) in Telangana, alongside activists, historians, and figures from the Telugu film industry, urged Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to publicly clarify the government’s position on giving the Gaddar Telangana Film Award to the movie ‘Razakar: The Silent Genocide of Hyderabad‘.
At a press event in Basheerbagh Press Club, these groups voiced concerns over the film receiving three awards: Feature Film on Environment, Heritage, History, Best Makeup Artist, and Best Music Director. They believe this is a disrespect to Gaddar, a renowned communist leader and balladeer, who worked tirelessly for secularism and marginalized communities.
They called for the revocation of the award and urged a reevaluation of the selection process to reflect historical truth and social cohesion.
Critics argue the film misrepresents the Telangana Armed Struggle (1946-51) by portraying it as a Hindu-Muslim conflict. It overlooks issues like feudalism, caste, and social power, wrongly depicting Razakars as solely Muslim, ignoring the diversity and the broader context of the communist-led peasant revolt against feudalism. This approach, they say, promotes a communal narrative that misrepresents the Nizam's era and damages communal harmony, contrary to the values Gaddar stood for.
Awarding this film in Gaddar's name, they asserted, undermines his lifelong struggle for justice and equality.