“You can get over the loss of your parents but you can never move on from the loss of your children,” says Neelam Krishnamoorthy, mother of Unnati and Ujjwal who lost their lives in the Uphaar Cinema fire on June 13, 1997. Her husband Shekhar Krishnamoorthy, who was gaining fame as a singer back then, could not return to his passion and left singing.
However, 27 years later, during their children’s birthday month (Unnati was born on August 30 while Ujjwal was born on August 13), their father decided to pay tribute to him and returned to singing. Neelam says they strongly believe the song will reach their children as music has that power.
The song ‘Tanha Tanha’ has been written by Praveen Saxena and composed by Shubha Mudgal. The video conception and storyboard have been executed by Neelam, who says, “I didn’t want anyone else to work on the video but myself because this is not fiction but reality, nobody knows what we are going through."
Neelam says she really hopes her husband returns to his passion now as he still has deep scars that will last a lifetime. ‘Jung unke liye humne barso ladi, jaane walo ko insaaf kuch toh mile’ (We fought for them for several years, may the deceased get some justice). Shekhar sings as he walks around in the video which also shows glimpses from the incident and media clippings of the reportage.
In 2016, Neelam and Shekhar Krishnamoorthy co-authored the book ‘Trial By Fire: The Gut-Wrenching Story of the Parents Who Lost Their Children to the Uphaar Cinema Fire and Lived to Fight for Justice’ published by Penguin. Later, a Netflix series of the eponymous name (produced by Endemol Shine India and House of Talkies) was released in 2023, starring Abhay Deol and Rajshri Deshpande. It opened to critical acclaim. “When we were approached, I was apprehensive because I didn’t want them to show me in a weak light – sobbing and howling. But they handled our story with dignity and did justice,” she says. “It also highlights the issue of fire safety and makes people born after 1997 aware of the incident.”
However, nearly three decades after the tragic incident, they have still not found justice. Neelam says the justice system only works for the powerful or if the public agitates. “We have seen that in the Jessica Lal Murder Case, the Nirbhaya case and again in the Kolkata rape and murder case.”
“Allowing them (Sushil and Gopal Ansal, the main accused in the case, blamed for overlooking safety and several violations) to walk out citing old age and with a fine is just not right. Evidence was tampered with, there are many loopholes in the case, but, we have not missed a single hearing in all these years. I will continue my fight till my last breath for my children. It is said justice delayed is justice denied. But there was no justice at all in this case,” she says.
Neelam also makes a case for setting up fast-track courts for crimes like rape. “Absolutely. They must have fast-track courts for cases like rape,” she says. “I don’t think we’ll find justice in our lifetime but we will fight till the end, and after that, it won’t matter. It will just be referred to as a significant case and will be taught in law schools.”
