‘31st October’ is not a political film, says Soha Ali Khan

Neha Saini

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Tribune News Service

Amritsar, September 3

Bollywood actor Soha Ali Khan and writer-producer Harry Sachdeva were in Amritsar to promote the upcoming film ‘31st October’. Based on true events of a family caught in the bewilderment of the fateful night of 31st October after the assassination of the then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, the film stars Vir Das and Soha in the lead. 

The duo visited the Golden Temple before promoting the film in the city. “I was very excited to visit the Golden Temple after 10 years. I came here as a kid before.” Soha plays the role of a Sikh woman, who is on the run to protect her three children from a violent mob and is based in a 24-hour timeline. “It was one of the toughest roles to play, as I had to relive that night every day in front of the camera. It is not a political film, made to create any controversy. It is an honest, responsible film and needs all the support from the audience and the media,” she said. 

 The film’s writer and producer Harry Sachdeva, whose family was one of the many victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, says that he had to face a lot of hurdles before the film got to see the light of the day. “I did a lot of research, meeting widows in the Lajpat Nagar’s widow’s colony and one of the stories just struck me. On the first day of our shoot, our set was ransacked by unidentified people and I had to redesign everything. Later, the censor board asked us to cut down 40 scenes from our film, which we contested and finally the film is releasing with nine cuts. We wanted the film to release last year in October, but all these issues delayed our plans. I am happy that it will finally reach the audience on October 7,” said Sachdeva.

Soha said the film is a lesson in history for the young generation. “Many innocent lives were lost in the aftermath of the assassination and families were displaced. There was a situation of panic, hostility and violence that prevailed and many did not even know what had triggered it. The story of that night is what makes this film special.”