Vikrant Massey’s Investigation Uncovers Truth, But Misses Thriller Gold
Dheeraj Sarna’s The Sabarmati Report tackles sensitive material with commendable restraint and Vikrant Massey delivers another sterling performance as a conflicted journalist pursuing buried truths. The film creates genuine intrigue and suspense, with Massey bringing authentic gravitas to his role whilst Raashii Khanna provides solid emotional anchoring. The subject matter (investigating the 2002 Godhra incident) is handled with surprising nuance for Bollywood.
However, what should have been a crackling political thriller occasionally settles for being merely competent. The film suffers from a lack of novelty and feels somewhat dated in its approach. Sarna’s direction is workmanlike but lacks the edge that made films like Scoop or The Kashmir Files genuinely gripping. The pacing flags in the middle act, and opportunities for genuine nail-biting tension are squandered in favour of overly cautious storytelling.
The film remains crisp and devoid of melodrama, which is both its strength and limitation. Massey’s committed performance and the film’s sincere approach to controversial material deserve recognition, but one can’t help feeling this could have been the year’s standout political thriller with braver direction.
Rating: 7/10 (Solid journalism, decent film, just wish it had the courage of its convictions)
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