While the intentions may have been in the right place, the real voice of “Shorgul” is lost in melodrama and fake blood.

Shorgul tries to tell a tale of merit. But the methods it employs to tell its story are so jaded, you just lose your faith in the film. The movie ends with Sanjay Suri, (portraying a CM’s role that’s a spin-off on Uttar Pradesh head Akhilesh Yadav) taking a dig at democracy. The tone is that the CM was helpless as he could merely sit and watch a tragedy unfold. Oddly, its a sentiment that mirrors the film’s audience’s experience too.

The Muzaffarnagar riots are a blot on contemporary history and the wounds from that blaze are yet to heal. It is almost criminal to use references to this human tragedy to draw audiences into a deafening, unimaginative, ordinary film.

The movie fails to make you develop an emotional connect with the central characters but what keeps it going are the spotless performances by Ashutosh and Jimmy. Besides, the movie gives you a slight peek into the Muzaffarnagar riots and how fanatics like these still exist in our country. It also shows how politics and religion are two major forces in India, which when mixed and used wrongly can result in major chaos and unrest. Watch this if such movies are your cup of tea.

Shorgul ’s release was postponed because of political pressure. To its credit, the film bluntly takes on real-life references with slightly modified names. Shergill’s Ranjit Om is of the Bharatiya Janatantra Party (modelled on Sangeet Som of BJP) whose speeches evoke history to fuel hatred toward Muslims.

Shorgul has no scope to explore the unending rise of communal feelings among ordinary people, and the confused plotting and never-ending turn of events further muddle an already mixed message.