The entire film is a series of eye-roll moments, pockmarked by dialogue that’s unintentionally hilarious. We don’t really have to wait for the big reveal to see the purpose of the film.

A Second-Hand History Lesson In Third-Rate Politics…

By eschewing the tenets of effective filmmaking, The Tashkent Files fails to get both, the fact and fiction right.

Disgusting propaganda in which truth is a luxury…A host of worthy actors including Pankaj Tripathi and Naseeruddin Shah are wasted in this political propaganda on PM Lal Bahadur Shastri’s death.

Actors known to be unfailingly effective find themselves being placed on slippery ground as they struggle with their lines of pick-axe bravado.

In A Word, Junk…Who is worse Vivek Agnihotri the cavalier conspiracy theorist or Vivek Agnihotri the kite-flying filmmaker?

The Tashkent Files makes some shocking claims about India’s political history, dynasty politics and the citizen’s right to know the truth. All its sensational content is relevant and important social issues are highlighted, too. But, the storytelling effort is half-baked and lacks the finesse that such a heavy-duty film requires. It also doesn’t help that the final slide of the movie tells the audience that the authenticity of all the facts displayed in the film cannot be verified.

The Tashkent Files is bogged down by the chaotic screenplay and blaring background music. Nuance and subtlety are kissed goodbye soon after the opening credits roll.

Vivek Agnihotri’s target is obvious, as is the fact that the film and its conveniently-timed release is “Lok Sabha chunaav ke liye ek zabardast mudda”. Skip The Tashkent Files at ease.

High on hysteria and hamming, Vivek Agnihotri’s film comes off as a cheap trick

Set against the backdrop of one of the most contentious periods in modern Indian history, created at a time when the fervour against fake news is louder than ever before, the makers had plenty of source material to create a genuinely thought-provoking film. This is what makes the movie’s lack of self-awareness even more jarring. The entire exercise is a completely wasted opportunity.