Revisiting history

KALYANI JHA |NT BUZZ

In the 1920s British India, the revolutionary group Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) undertook a bold train robbery to seize British treasury funds.

On the 100th anniversary of this historical chapter (which came to be known as the Kakori Train Action of 1925), National award-winning director Kamlesh R. Mishra has come out with ‘Kakori’. The short film opened the Non Feature Section of Indian Panorama at the ongoing IFFI.

“Though this story has been told many times before, many details have been missed or overlooked previously,” says Mishra whose 32-minute short presents researched data

and facts.

Beyond the heist, the film also deep dives into the journeys of the young patriots, who then endured brutal interrogations, a courtroom trial, ending with the martyrdom of some

of them.

In Mishra’s film, the first moment of Independence becomes the narrator. “It recalls how the Independence movement was born and who did what for freedom,” share Mishra whose previous docu-drama ‘Madhubani- The Station of Colours’ won at the 66th National Film Awards.

Sharing his insights on adding a fictional angle in a documentary he says, “Adding fiction increases the impact of the story being told. In this film however we had constraints on money and time,” he says, adding that he chose to tell his story in 32 minutes on purpose and based on his experience as jury at the film festival. “In a documentary, when we say it’s a short film, audience go with the mindset of seeing a short film. If the short film is 72 minutes the idea gets diluted. I knew I could tell my story with maximum impact in 32 minutes and so I did,” says Mishra, who is next working on ‘Rakht Pushp’.