Who will make a film on 26/11 terror attack?

Bollywood filmmakers are known for turning real life incidents into films but no one has dared to make a film on the 26/11 terror attack, which brought Bollywood hub Mumbai (in fact the whole country) into a standstill a year ago. Filmmakers are divided on whether it is time to bring it to the big screens.

Around 10 film titles related to the tragedy have been registered yet no one has taken the plunge. Maybe the flak that controversy-prone director Ram Gopal Varma received, following his tour to the terror-stricken vicinities soon after they were cleared, has made the filmmakers skeptic.

Rensil D'Silva, the director of the recently released Kurbaan, feels that it is too early to explore the subject as the audience is not ready for it. He said that we should wait for at least three to four years before embarking on it, as the wounds are yet to heel. He added that we have just 40 per cent of the facts of the attack, which is not enough to portray a tragedy of such magnitude.

However, actor Gulshan Grover feels that there is nothing like a proper time to tell a story. He said that one can make a film on the incident as long as the story is authentic and sincere.

On the other hand, actor cum filmmaker Anant Mahadevan has a quite different view. He feels that no one is willing to take up the risk of making a film on the tragedy due to lack of enough means to deal with the subject. He said that inadequacy of research and lack of budget are the reasons for stopping the filmmakers from making a film on the subject. He however feels that one could make a film out of a particular human angle.

Filmmakers must be keeping away from the subject, as they are well aware that India being a sensitive country, a minor disappointment could hamper the prospect of their film. But it would be worth taking the risk of making a film on the tragedy and bring out the dark side of terrorism. It would not only bring about awareness amongst the people but also bind the country together in fighting terrorism.