Today I've packed Amu's favourite potato pancakes for lunch.
You haven't worn your shoes yet, dear.
I won't go to school.
Why?
All the kids tease me, make fun of me.
Why don't I have a mother?
Why didn't you tell them about this big mother that you have?
I did.
But everyone has a father like you, but they have a mother too.
Sweetheart, their moms and dads together can't love them
as much as I love you.
Isn't that right?
Just like I am your daughter and son.
Exactly like that!
So sweetie's world is her father, and her father's world is who?
-Me. -No, I couldn't hear you.
Me, Amu!
Yes, Amu!
j& Bless us So we strengthen our minds j&
j& May we be victorious j&
j& Before praising others j&
j& Bless us So we strengthen our minds j&
Your father and I...
we swore to raise you with lots of love.
-But-- -But?
But...
he was never with me even when we were together.
His mind would always meander to someplace else.
Your father is a nice man, but--
But then why was I told that my mother is dead?
I couldn't... stay with your father in Patna.
I returned to Bokaro.
Saini uncle was starting a school,
and I joined him here.
And then I got busy with the children here.
And your child?
No one ever thought about me.
How can the two of you be so selfish?
We did all this for your sake.
If you had thought about me,
then I would've never grown up without my mother.
If you didn't want to stay with your husband, that was fine.
That's your choice. I can understand.
But why did you leave me?
Why was I told that my mother is dead?
This is nice.
When the two of you have nothing to say, you start crying,
Wait, wait. Stop here for a minute.
THAKUR SWEETS STORE
Ma'am, I'll be right back.
I'll go check as well, madam.
Is this Ramakant Thakur's shop?
Ramakant Thakur?
Ma'am, we got Ramakant Thakur's address.
I see.
He lives nearby in the bus-stand colony.
Ma'am, my father's health is weak.
So please be careful.
Don't worry. We'll be very careful.
THAKUR HOUSE
Father.
They are from Ranchi Police.
Remember I told you about them.
I am Amrita Singh.
Vikas Mandal.
Riots broke out near your shop in '84.
You'd filed an FIR at the police station?
Are you investigating
after all these years?
I admit it wasn't probed much earlier,
but your statement can make a lot of difference.
It was utter chaos.
Countless lives were lost that day.
Countless.
Who were the people that did this?
Rishi.
Jhandu.
Raghav.
Guru.
Many people were involved.
And Guru used to work in our shop.
He was there too.
Are these boys still here?
-Or have they left? -They must all be in hell
paying for their deeds.
Guru?
I heard he became a wanderer.
Some say he turned insane.
Some say he's dead.
I wonder where he is. I don't know.
Satnam Saini said you were with him when his shop was attacked.
You saw everything.
I saw everything.
Rishi and Jhandu entered Mr. Saini's shop
-and began looting the place. -Mr. Saini sir...
There was a huge mob of boys outside.
Break the lock and take everything.
They were spreading too much chaos.
That's when Rishi came out...
-Jhandu, hey! -...and set Mr. Saini's car on fire.
I was hiding behind my shop.
-Watching everything. -Go away.
I saw everything but could do nothing.
What will you get by breaking cheap bulbs?
Burn his expensive car to ashes.
I don't need your advice.
I want to show Saini his place.
Hey! What are you going to find there?
Set the car on fire.
Light it up.
Come on.
Let's go.
Jhandu, what are you doing there? Let's go.
We couldn't get to Mr. Saini's home on time
because of Rishi.
Everything was over by then.
Everything...
Everything, everything!
We couldn't do anything.
Who is Rishi?
He was Chunnu's right-hand man.
He got Rishi his job at the steel plant.
He was Mr. Chhabra's tenant.
He destroyed the very man
who gave him a roof over his head.
Drink some water.
No, Mr. Mandal. Not you.
You're a respectable man.
I am a small man.
But... please don't insist.
My shop was in Bokaro's main market.
Mine, Kawaljit Chhabra's, Satwant Saini's,
and many others.
We all lived together with great harmony and love.
But these people ruined everything
and left nothing.
Nothing at all.
Can I show you a picture?
Yes.
Rishi! That's him.
He's the one. Hang him immediately.
He ruined everything!
It's him.
Sandhya, go check on Vikas.
-But, ma'am-- -I'll manage. You go on.
Okay.
His name is Rishi?
Yes, that's him. He's Rishi.
That's Rishi.
And not Gurusevak?
Gurusevak?
No, dear, this is Rishi.
Did you know any Gurusevak at all?
Gurusevak?
-No-- -He was here during the riots?
Worked at the steel plant?
Not at all, child. I've never known him.
Where is Gyan Sahay's house?
The one next to this, on the right.
-Next to this one? -Yes.
Glory to Lord Krishna...
Yes?
Mr. Gyan Sahay?
Yes.
Please come in.
He's all over the news these days.
Was he there that day? On 31st October and 1st November?
No.
He didn't.
Do you clearly remember?
That day is etched on my mind like a movie.
How can I forget?
Chunnu Singh didn't show up that day.
Chunnu meaning Sanjay Singh.
Yes, of course. He's Sanjay Singh now.
Back then he was popularly known as Chunnu Singh.
He used to do odd jobs here and there.
So, tell me how was the money withdrawn from the account?
Two boys had shown up that day.
-Two boys? -Yes.
Do you have any idea who these boys were?
The one who signed on the cheque was...
He had a nice name starting with an R...
Ravi...
Rishi Ranjan.
Rishi Ranjan was his name.
-Rishi Ranjan? -Yes.
And who was this--
In those days, these boys would run errands for Chunnu Singh,
-who is Sanjay Singh now. -I see.
Goons to be more specific.
How do you know they worked for Sanjay Singh?
Back in those days, minus the plant,
Bokaro was a small city.
If you were in the neighbourhood a couple of times,
everyone would know you.
This is common in small towns where people know each other.
-Yes. -This is nothing new.
I'll show you a picture.
Do you know him?
That's him. That's Rishi Ranjan.
He came to the bank that day.
Did you see him rioting?
No. I was in the bank. How could I see him?
People told me later.
There were rumours that the money came from much higher
and these guys made full use of it.
-I see. -It was very bad.
Thank you.
Amu.
Even I love Papa a lot.
-He's my only family. -Yes.
But the man everyone is talking about is not the man I know.
Everyone's calling him a rioter.
They all hate him.
Please tell me.
If he was Rishi,
then who is Gurusevak?
Why was he in the riots?
I want to know the truth.
Tell me.
You kept me in the dark all my life.
In trying to understand him...
I've started doubting everything I know about myself.
Don't think that way, Amu.
Please don't call me Amu.
Amrita, everything your father did
was for the sake of his love.
If he loved you so much, then why did you part ways?
Because he loved Manu.
Manu?
Manjeet Chhabra.
She lives in Canada now.
But it'll be best if your father tells you about it.
I don't want to know anything from you or Papa anymore.
I thought it was the right thing to do.
There's no point in hiding anything now.
No, no!
The secret we protected for so long can't be revealed like this.
-If she finds out-- -What do you think?
No harm has been done yet?
When she came here, she looked shattered.
Trust Amrita.
Tell her everything.
Pragya,
at least you support me.
I am supporting you.
I can talk to her if you let me.
I'll talk to Amu in my own way.
I'll talk to her myself. I explain to her.
As you wish.
So, it's decided.
I'll go over to the gurdwara
and find an auspicious date in the next two weeks.
That's great, brother.
I'll inform all my relatives as well.
The sooner this wedding takes place the better. Good.
And the sooner she'll have her own family.
The situation is getting worse.
We hear it on the news every day.
You're absolutely right.
Tea.
And anyway he has to return to Canada next month.
You're crying. Are you not well?
Is she crying?
-What's the matter? -It's not easy to leave one's family
and go to a foreign land.
I started crying three months before my wedding.
Honestly.
Me too, sister.
Tea.
What's wrong with you?
I've brought these offerings for you.
Forget the offerings.
He's running a fever since two days
and didn't bother to tell anyone.
It's just a fever, Manu.
I'll get better in a couple of days.
You keep at it, and they'll get me married.
I am not going to Canada.
I would rather die than get married.
Don't say that. I'll do something.
Papa will send me away next week
while you sit here doing nothing.
Wise guy.
She is running a fever too.
Manu...
Run away together.
You can't live without each other.
Chhath festival starts in two days.
Everyone will be busy.
Both of you can escape in the crowd.
Ma'am, those widowed and orphaned in the riots live in this colony.
They do odd jobs for a living.
Those who survive are devoured by time.
We get ample time to contemplate.
I try to fathom why it all happened.
Whether it's the Jallianwala Bagh
or the '84 riots.
The woman jumping in the well doesn't know what her fault was.
Our neighbouring aunt suggested we lock the door from outside
and say that they're not in the city.
Next morning her husband pried the lock open,
and...
he was trying to break down the door.
He was screaming.
The four of us were scared and remained inside.
Mom and Papa hid us under the bed.
Then Papa opened the door.
Don't hit him.
Oh, God!
Don't hit him.
Hit her!
Don't hit him.
Stop... Run assholes...
Run, you assholes! Trying to be goons all of you.
Get lost, assholes!
Are you two all right?
What are you watching? Help them!
Don't be scared. Don't be scared at all.
Jaiswal.
Jaiswal!
Coming, sir!
Who was the policeman?
Don't know. I didn't see his face.
Did you recognise
any of those rioters?
The guy who set the house on fire,
Guru, worked at the teashop father used to visit.
-He set the house on fire. -Guru! This Sardar's still breathing.
We'll clean the entire city.
And your brother?
Where is he nowadays?
He spent the rest of his life in and out of de-addiction centres.
He committed suicide last year.
We're sorry.
And Guru.
He's stuck somewhere between life and death.
He now serves the very community he killed.
Is he here? In Bokaro?
He lives in the gurdwara.
He's gone insane.
-I'll be right back. -Yes.
-Vikas. -Yes, ma'am.
-He's gone insane? -Tell me, Batuk.
The phone we found on Santosh Jaiswal
frequently called one number last month.
Is it? Whose number is it?
The number is registered to an Usman Alam.
When I reached the address, it was locked.
I see.
Ask Santosh's wife Vaani.
She's on a hunger strike with Sanjay Singh.
But I'll still try.
Call me immediately if you find anything.
Okay.
Papa!
Spare my child.
Leave me! Let me go!
Someone save him!
Ma'am, are you okay?
This is affecting you a lot.
Because it concerns the Sikh community, isn't it?
Aren't you affected?
If someone isn't affected
after knowing what happened, then something is wrong with them.
Do you know any Gurunam?
No.
Someone told me he lives here.
Guru or Gurunam.
-Gurunam the madman? -Yes.
Go and ask there.
Gurunam.
Guru.
Nothing has changed. What's done is done.
Why did you come here now?
Repeating the same thing over and over again.
Were you saying something?
-Again and again. -Can you speak louder?
I didn't say a thing.
I wasn't saying anything.
Would my statement make a difference?
Will it change anything?
Will anything change?
The year 1984 has been etched in the heart of Bokaro.
It doesn't matter what you do.
Every time they talk about this city, that day will be mentioned.
We cannot change what happened.
But if you tell us the truth,
then we can stop it from happening again.
Nothing is in our hands.
Someone else is planning it.
But it's in our hands to try.
I see.
Do riots and trouble come with a warning?
There's hatred inside you...
in me...
in all of us.
Hatred towards food, hatred towards wealth,
hatred towards your father, hatred towards your mother,
hatred towards lovers.
And when rumours spread,
this very hatred turns into a weapon.
A lethal weapon.
It takes just one person to spread a rumour.
Just one.
But we all chase after it like hungry dogs.
No one knows why they are doing it and for what.
They are just doing it.
The word "Sikh" means student.
It represents valour, bravery, self-respect.
And this word was being murdered, slandered.
Who was spreading rumours?
Using hatred?
Chunnu Singh.
He declared rewards for attacking the Sikhs.
Take the list of traitors in your neighbourhood
and clean the city.
Rs. 500 for every Sardar,
and Rs. 800 for Baldev Singh.
Come back here tomorrow and collect your reward.
If your blood hasn't boiled yet,
then it's water running in your veins!
If your blood hasn't boiled yet,
then it's water running in your veins!
We'll slaughter every Sardar!
We'll kill a dozen, not one!
We'll slaughter every Sardar!
We'll kill a dozen, not one!
-Guru. -Yes.
-Let me pass. -You're not going anywhere.
Rascal!
What are you doing, Guru? Let me go, Guru.
Have you lost your mind?
Let me go. Have you lost your mind?
Let me go.
Let me go, man.
Mummy!
Go inside.
Go inside, Tanu!
Mummy!
Everything that happened...
what you did
and saw,
will you say it in the court?
Yes.
We're keeping you here for now.
We'll record your statement in front of a Ranchi magistrate tomorrow.
You'd mentioned a policeman.
Yes.
He tried to stop the riots.
Yes.
Do you remember his name?
No.
And who was the officer
who told him to leave?
Maybe it was...
Gautam Patidar.
He was the station incharge.
He'd visit our teashop for tea.
-What's the news, Amrita? -Sir, there's progress.
It's of no use if the CM doesn't know.
Sir, we found a rioter from '84.
Sir, he was present during the planning.
He's heard Sanjay Singh give provocative speeches.
What?
He's still alive after 30 years?
-What's his name? -His name is Guru.
We've taken him into custody.
He's prepared to give his statement,
but I don't want to involve local police before taking his statement.
Good job.
Take his statement and keep updating me about the progress.
Yes, sir.
In that one night,
you caused so much bloodshed.
Why did you tread down that path?
Poverty.
I considered my poverty...
as my bad luck.
As if buying tea at the shop
gave some people a right to shout at me and beat me up.
But, that day, I felt like
I can take anything, do anything.
We were all equals smeared in the same colour.
Everyone was carrying weapons.
That day, I felt...
that I am neither poor nor weak.
But I was wrong.
Completely wrong.
Are you okay?
I've never seen you like this before.
You were right, ma'am.
People who have seen such violence,
they lose a lot.
What did you lose?
Viku.
Hey, Viku.
Why won't you listen?
Hurry up, or else it'll be nightfall soon.
Shall I go and get it, Mother?
You let it be.
Viku you go and get the milk.
I'll go feed the cow.
Catch the ball quickly.
Viku, don't you want to play?
I'll be back in 10 minutes.
Viku, where are you going?
Go ask your mother.
Such a mischievous child.
Any kind of violence, whether riots
rape or manslaughter,
the only reason behind it
is someone's arrogance.
Even today, my people are treated the same way, ma'am.
"How dare you take
"the wedding procession through our neighbourhood?"
"How could you sit on the motorcycle?"
And they are murdered.
Entire villages are set ablaze.
Cities are razed to the ground.
For something so petty.
What happened to you...
what happened in '84...
the victims and the culprits...
none of it should happen again.
I'll be right back.
Come quickly, madam! Someone's here!
-What happened, Abdul? -Where?
Stop.
Abdul, catch him!
-Stop! -Stop!
Don't let him go!
Catch him. Catch the rascal.
Stop!