Meghna Gulzar failed to do justice to Raazi, said Harinder Singh Sikka, the writer of the espionage novel, Calling Sehmat (2008), on which the 2018 film is based.
Reflecting on the blockbuster success of Ranveer Singh-starrer Dhurandhar 2, Sikka said the Aditya Dhar directorial might have given viewers a cinematic glimpse, but the real stories began with books like An Indian Spy in Pakistan by Mohanlal Bhaskar, Plot, Lies and Deceit by Brig PS Jothra, India’s External Intelligence by Major General VK Singh, Ready, Relevant and Resurgent by General Anil Chauhan and Calling Sehmat.
“Calling Sehmat #Raazi ranks among the top books on espionage ever written, globally. It exposes Pakistan across border, hostile forces in Bollywood & Punjab-based criminals within. Appointing Meghna Gulzar was my gravest misjudgment. Despite clear warnings, I failed to foresee how ideological bias would end up diminishing the true spirit of the protagonist,” wrote Sikka on X on Sunday.
“I was told by many people not to trust Meghna Gulzar, that was a leftist etc. But I couldn’t believe it,” Sikka added.
“I am sure these thoughts were strongly reinforced after watching Dhurandhar. Audiences can only imagine what the @AdityaDharFilms treatment would've done to your work, Sir,” reads one comment on Sikka’s post.
“She even made a mockery of biopic on Sam manekshaw. His 30-40 year old interviews/lectures are far more engaging. The movie was a dud,” commented another X user.
Echoing similar sentiments, Sikka wrote, “The way Meghna Gulzar twisted the story through a leftist lens still pains me deeply. Film on the legendary Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw was no different. All the ugly #CONgress acts of ill treating the Field Marshal were missing. What kind of mindset diminishes patriots by bending truth to suit an agenda?
Raazi is based on Harinder Sikka’s 2008 novel Calling Sehmat, an account of the true story of a former RAW agent. Set before the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, Raazi sheds light on how at the request of her Indian freedom fighter father, Sehmat, a young Kashmiri girl, becomes a RAW agent and then gets married into a family of military officers in Pakistan to relay crucial information to India.
Sehmat eventually gets emotionally torn between her loyalty to her country and her love for the family of her husband.
Raazi portrays Pakistani military personnel as humans rather than bloodthirsty monsters as usually depicted in other Bollywood films.
Alia Bhatt shines as Sehmat in the film alongside Vicky Kaushal, Rajit Kapur, Shishir Sharma and Jaideep Ahlawat.
