#Article15 : Article15 starts
with Bob Dylan’s music from “ Blowing In the Wind” playing in the background - “
How many times can a man turn his head And pretend that he doesn’t see” and explodes
in your face asking questions that are uncomfortable , that exposes a deep
rooted caste system in this country that you & I have been mute witness to or
shall I say have been party to and brings forth the disturbing consequences of a
system that promotes “ US vs Them” and muffles every voice that asks a question
. Will there be an end to this divisive, parochial system ? Will there be an
end to the killings? The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind. Things will
probably change when You & I will stop waiting for a Hero and act like one.
Bansky had once said “ Art should
comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable” and in that sense Article 15
is a terrific film ,right in the league of
Govind Nihalin’s classic Aakrosh . Guara’s eye reflect the same anguish , anger
and helplessness that Lahanya Bhiku’s eyes expressed . And in almost four
decades nothing much has changed . Based on the Badaun Gang Rape and murder
case , where two teenage girls had been raped and hanged on a tree to teach a lesson to lower caste , to show
them their “Aukat” . Named after the provision in the Indian Constitution that
prohibits "discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or
place of birth"
Article15 is a disturbing film about the realities of India , about the procedural
mockery, about how caste divides have been created in the name of maintaining imaginary
balance and the way constitutional rights
have been subverted . It brings out the helplessness the angst of the underprivileged
. It reflects how those who are supposed to protect have become the perpetrators
. It shows how people are killed because they asked a Rs 3 hike in their wages.
Shot in monochromatic frames
Article 15 is atmospheric spans out like a thriller. There is a conscious
effort to disturb the audience with the close up shots of the corpses and the cleaning
of the sewage . The actors are terrific . Ayushman Khurana gets to play the
role of a lifetime and he excels in bringing out the vulnerability as well as
the steely resolve of a young IPS who had been exposed to a world so far away
from the India he knew and took pride in. Kumud Mishra, Sayani Gupta,Manoj
Pahwa and Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub have been phenomenal.
Article 15 isnt just a film .It
is a bold statement reflecting the murky realities of India , that gets frequently pushed to page 7 while
you & I relish the glitz and glamour of Page 3. It is about our constitution
, about the dignity of life . Will you & I wait for a Hero and let things
happen or try to be one and lead the transformation is a choice we have to make
. And as Zeeshan Ayyub’s Nishad puts it the price of trying to change the
balance is going to be high . But then You & I wont be the last one fighting
the battle !
I will go out with 4.5 out of 5
for a film that brings out the grim, inconvenient realities of our society .
Not sure “How Many years Can some people Exist, before they are allowed to be
free ?”
