The Sabarmati Report’s teaser has created a flutter. Starring Vikrant Massey and Raashii Khanna, the Ranjan Chandel-directed political thriller revolves around two reporters who investigate the burning of the Sabarmati Express in 2002. Amul Mohan, who has backed the movie along with Ektaa R Kapoor, says that as a producer, he is looking for compelling narratives and The Sabarmati Report delivered on that count.

“Aseem sir [Arora, writer] had a take on The Sabarmati Report, and we built on that. It’s emotion-driven, as it deals with a timeline in India when such a ghastly act happened. The sense of injustice we felt while we were researching it, made us gravitate towards it,” starts Mohan.

On February 27, 2002, 59 pilgrims returning from Ayodhya were killed in a blaze in the four coaches of the Sabarmati Express near Godhra railway station in Gujarat. It had led to one of the worst communal riots in Gujarat. While the film is a mix of fact and fiction, Mohan highlights that it isn’t centred on the Sabarmati Express fire or the subsequent riots, but focuses on the following decade and the findings of the actual Sabarmati report.

“We are not touching on anything that happened immediately, post the Godhra train incident but the investigation as to what really transpired that night, near Godhra station, in Gujarat in 2002. Our subject is controversial, but our take will make it more palatable for the masses,” states Mohan.

Massey is on a career high since the runaway success of his last release, 12th Fail (2023). The producer says they had approached the actor before he struck gold at the box office. “We offered the film to him a few months before 12th Fail was released. Before we came for the narration, Vikrant had read the story. That shows the kind of actor he is. After working with him, I respect him even more.”

He is grateful to Kapoor, with whom he worked as a creative producer on Ek Villain (2013) and Ek Villain Returns (2022), for backing the project. Kapoor is known to be clear about what she wants, which some interpret as interference, but Mohan says she has a finger on the audience’s pulse like no other.

“It’s a dream come true that Ektaa is backing a new producer like me. I’m lucky to have witnessed her insight about stories that she wants to tell. She connects with the masses.”