Black Friday (2004)

A dramatic presentation of the bomb blasts that rocked Bombay on March 12, 1993, displays the police investigation, amidst allegations of human rights violations, led by DCP Rakesh Maria, in tracking down the suspects, especially Bashir Khan. Bashir managed to elude authorities by re-locating to Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and West Bengal, after finally being apprehended in Bombay. His confession and subsequent flashbacks showcases the apathy shown by authorities who refused to intervene during the destruction of the sacred Babri Masjid by Hindu Kar Sevaks, and the inability of the police to fulfill their mandate and protect the vulnerable, forcing many to flee to other locations. The subsequent aftermath that succeeded in irreversibly polarizing communities in Bombay; Pakistan's involvement in training and arms' supplies; the main alleged suspects, Dawood Ibrahim, and Mushtaq Memon…

IMDB

…. The movie is unique in the sense that it shows the life of a terrorist AFTER the blast and how he copes with all the pressures. Then there's the pressure faced by the investigators to get to the terrorist, but taking care at the same time that they don't harm innocent people in their zeal. When I saw in the credits that the movie was based on a book by a Muslim author, I started feeling that it was going to be a biased description of the atrocities of Mumbai police on innocent members of the Musilm community during the investigations. Such a thought process is shameful, but natural in India's circumstances. But surprisingly, and thankfully, the movie, and so I suppose the book too, is as objective as it could have been without appearing sympathetic to either of the parties.

To finish off, this is one of those (very rare) movies that convince you that the future isn't all that bad for Hindi cinema. A must watch for all Hindi movie fans, and even those who normally don't watch Hindi movies because of the unrealistic gloss and song-and-dance routines.

IMDB Reviewer

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