The first poster of Vivek Agnihotri’s The Tashkent Files was released earlier this week. The filmmaker has now revealed the characters of the film that revolves around the death of India’s second prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri in the Central Asian city.
Mithun Chakraborty plays opposition leader Shyam Sundar Tripathi. While sharing his poster on Twitter, Agnihotri described Tripathi as “a political guru whose only mantra is to win. Because losers can’t change the destiny of a nation.” Chakraborty is seen with grey hair settled at the back of his head.
The film will also see Pankaj Tripathi in the role of the scientist Gangaram Jha. The poster has him with a serious look, wearing thick rimmed spectacles.
Actress Shweta Basu Prasad will be seen in the role of rookie journalist Raagini Phule. She probably investigates the death.
Veteran actress Pallavi Joshi, Agnihotri’s wife, plays Padma Shree awardee author and historian Aiysha Ali Shah. She sports a serious look that goes with her character. It is difficult to know if any of these characters is real.
The film also stars Naseeruddin Shah in a pivotal role. His character has been kept under wraps for now.
The Tashkent Files is about the sudden death of Shastri, ascribed to a heart attack, when he was in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, then a part of the Soviet Union, to sign a peace treaty with self-styled Field Marshal Ayub Khan to end the India-Pakistan war of 1965.
Several conspiracy theories regarding Shastri’s death have floated around ever since.