| The Tashkent Files | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Vivek Agnihotri |
| Written by | Vivek Agnihotri |
| Screenplay by | Vivek Agnihotri |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Udaysingh Mohite |
| Edited by | Sattyajit Gazmer |
| Music by |
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Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Zee Studios |
Release date |
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Running time | 144 minutes[2] |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
| Budget | ₹7.5 crore[3] |
| Box office | est.₹20.84 crore[4] |
The Tashkent Files is a2019 IndianHindi-languageconspiracypropaganda film written and directed byVivek Agnihotri.[5][6] It focuses on themysterious death of formerprime ministerLal Bahadur Shastri. It is the first installment in Agnihotri'sThe Files Trilogy, followed byThe Kashmir Files (2022) andThe Bengal Files (2025). The film received overwhelmingly negative reviews from critics.
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Raagini Phule, a struggling journalist, receives a tip from an anonymous caller about investigating the suspicious circumstances surrounding Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri's death in Tashkent in 1966. Under government pressure, a panel of experts is formed, including Raagini herself, to examine the evidence.
The panel members, including politicians, historians, scientists, and journalists, fiercely debate the available material, drawing upon conspiracy theories, Cold War politics, and allegations of assassination. Ultimately, the film leaves the central mystery unresolved, raising questions about transparency and accountability in independent India.
The film was announced in January 2018 as India's first "crowd-sourced" thriller, with director Vivek Agnihotri inviting the public to share material related to Shastri’s death.[7][9] Books referenced includePolitical Mysteries byK. R. Malkani,Conversations with the Crow by Gregory Douglas, and theMitrokhin Archive byVasili Mitrokhin.[10]
The first poster was released on 19 March 2019, announcing a 12 April 2019 theatrical release.[1] The film was also made available onZEE5.[11] Agnihotri described it as the first installment of his trilogy of "untold stories of independent India," followed byThe Kashmir Files (2022) andThe Bengal Files (2025).[12]
| The Tashkent Files | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | |||||
| Released | 30 April 2019[13] | ||||
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack | ||||
| Length | 19:03 | ||||
| Label | Zee Music Company | ||||
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The soundtrack was composed byRohit Sharma, with lyrics by Aazad, Sharma, and Vivek Agnihotri.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Saare Jahan Se Acchha" | Rohit Sharma, Vivek Agnihotri | Jayaraman Mohan, Arya Acharya, RJ Archana, RJ Anuraag Pandey, RJ Rohini, Ekdant Kalakshetra, Swara Sharma, Nyonishi Cousins | 3:42 |
| 2. | "Radha Tori Batiyaan Thumri" | Aazad | Ritesh Rajnish Mishra | 3:42 |
| 3. | "Thumri Jugalbandi Rock" | Aazad | Ritesh Rajnish Mishra, Geet Sagar | 3:14 |
| 4. | "Sab Chalta Hai Rock" | Rohit Sharma, Aazad | Geet Sagar | 3:50 |
| 5. | "Sab Chalta Hai Electronica" | Aazad | Rohit Sharma | 2:18 |
| 6. | "Sach Chalta Hai" | Aazad, Rohit Sharma | Geet Sagar | 2:17 |
| Total length: | 19:03 | |||
The Tashkent Files received overwhelmingly negative reviews. Onreview aggregatorRotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 0% approval rating based on 8 reviews.[14]
Devesh Sharma ofFilmfare gave two and half stars out of five; it was a 'melodramatic' episode with loud and over the top acting coupled with bombastic dialogues. Sharma found the film to be biased against a certain political party and wondered about its release during the national elections, which were running concurrently.[15]
Writing forScroll.in, Nandini Ramnath found it to be a politically motivated work that did not have any rigor and failed to be an effective conspiracy thriller.[16]Saibal Chatterjee, writing forNDTV rated the film with half star out of five — the research that went into the production was equivalent of a Google search film-making and overall, it was "junk."[17] Jyoti Sharma Bawa, reviewing for theHindustan Times rated it one out of five stars and reiterated Chatterjee.[18]Mid-Day gave one and a half stars out of five — all the research that went into the work was derived from internet, esp. social media.[19]
A review overIndia Today rated it one out of five stars and noted it to be a politically motivated film that did not have any logic and might be easily dispensed with.[20] A review overThe Hindu noted it to be an ideological slideshow that exploited Shastri's death to attack left, secular and socialist ideologies and institutions and though based on an engaging topic, was a 'hotch-potch of hearsay, juvenile arguments' that ultimately lend to utter confusion rather than any conviction.[21] Another review overNews18 India rated it one out of five stars and noted it to be a politically motivated film with unconvincing arguments, that made for a dull watch.[22]
A review inThe First Post asserted it to be a politically motivated film and rated it two out of five stars. Noting Agnihotri to neither have the finesse nor the potency to sketch a conspiracy thriller, the reviewer deemed it to be a cheap trick, that was high on hysteria but lacked logic amidst a focus-less frenzied storytelling that did not venture beyond the realms of Google.[23] A review inThe Indian Express deemed it to be the ideal politically-motivated fiction for the 'post-truth, fake news era' — a series of eye-roll moments with unintentionally hilarious dialogues.[24]ThePrint found it to be a shoddy jab at film-making that harnessed a mish-mash of unformed characters and incomplete plots devoid of logic.[25]Bollywood Hungama gave one and a half stars out of five.[26]
Anusha Iyengar, reviewing forTimes Now, gave two out of five stars, praising the story but taking issues with over-the-top dramatization that reeked of amateurish storytelling.[26] Manavi Kapur, reviewing the film atBusiness Standard, found it unworthy for even a daytime opera slot.[27] Shilajit Mitra, reviewing forThe New Indian Express remarked it to be an exhausting head-spin of a political propaganda, that became weirder with time.[28] Stutee Ghosh ofThe Quint found it to be a prejudiced, amateurish and cringe-worthy film with an uninspiring storytelling that banked on crowd-sourced research; she rated one star out of five.[29]
Despite critical reception, the film performed strongly at the box office, completing 100 days in theatres.[30]
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | National Film Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Pallavi Joshi | Won | [31] |
| Best Dialogues | Vivek Agnihotri | Won | [32] |
Who Killed Shastri?: The Tashkent Files is a non-fiction book by Vivek Agnihotri based on his research for the film. It was published in August 2020 byBloomsbury India.[10]
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