Article 15 (2019) Review!!

Synopsis – Set against the backdrop of Badaun gangrape and murder case (2014), Anubhav Sinha’s Article 15 is a thrilling investigative drama based on true events.

My Take – Like any other country in the world, India too has its own set of problem. Yes, corruption, poverty and underdeveloped state of most parts of the country has been major hassle, but here I am talking about the right to equality.

While ever since Narendra Modi and his BJP party took reigns over the government four years ago, differentiation has been quite visible in almost sector, state and city, yet it remains an unruly factor that despite accepting the Constitution and all of its articles almost 70 years ago, right to equality has never been in full effect especially in the rural areas.

Here, director Anubhav Sinha, who in less than a year, has undergone a drastic transformation, by trading his penchant for making formulaic escapist films like Dus, Ra One, Tum Bin, Tum Bin 2 and Cash, with a social drama like Mulk, which examined Islamophobia, and here, he once again hits home, by tackling a subject, that exposes one of the various social issues faced by our country.

Borrowing its title from Article 15 which was created by Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar on one of the most important and sensitive issue of our traditional society, which gave everyone the Right to Equality regardless of what cast, state or religion the person belongs to.

Led by Ayushmann Khurrana, who has been on a roll lately, this Anubhav Sinha directed film is designed like a crime thriller. And what works for the film is that it’s thought provoking, hard hitting while unflinchingly bringing to light burning social issues that even goes even further in smashing notions of cinematic politesse.

Here, the screenplay, by Sinha and Gaurav Solanki, is easily designed to provoke and it is always as delightful as it is painful to see a film that takes on a disgusting face of society while being well-made too. Not only is the film well shot, edited and acted out well, it is also written well while relentlessly staying on point and approaching the subject of casteism from various angles.

The story follows Ayan Ranjan (Ayushmann Khurrana), an honest IPS officer, who heads to rural Uttar Pradesh to take charge of his first posting in Lalgaon. Having lived an urban lifestyle throughout, Ayan is surprised to find himself between thriving cast politics, which are ruled and followed by every member of the district.

However, despite his skeletal understanding, he dives straight into taking charge of a case concerning two Dalit girls, who were raped, murdered and left hanging from a tree. Even though he faces continues obstacles from different factions including his own department, Ayan remains determined to find a third girl who supposedly escaped the same night the other two were murdered, all the while getting schooled in the magnitude of India’s caste problem.

The central story spews a web of situations that point out not only the pervasive oppression and the old systemic misuse of power, but also the caste politics, the hypocrisy, the obliviousness of the privileged, the human nature which tends towards inhumanity when one feels they are not being watched, the sham that government schemes and reports can be, the existence of a conscience amidst this muck–to name a few.

Yes, the feel is grim, gritty and grey often bringing a chill to the bone with palpable tension in the air. Here, director Anubhav Sinha makes a genuine attempt at presenting the issue with a firm commitment. The issue of caste discrimination is hammered in the minds of the audience repeatedly with finesse. The director reminds us of the continuous trauma and discrimination prevailing amongst caste and sub-castes across the country.

The sheer inertia to share water with another community or for that matter, Ayan’s disgust on learning how his own subordinates have not been able to overcome years of sub-conscious caste superiority complex, challenges the audience to introspect.

Films about marginalized communities are often made to stress the benevolence of progressives from dominant social groups. Here, the film walks a tightrope to ensure that even as it uses Khurrana’s stardom to draw attention to its concerns and utilities Ayan’s quest for knowledge to enlighten the audience about caste, the screenplay does not get condescending towards Dalits and does not write him, a Brahmin, as a patron of the downtrodden who Brahmins plains caste to those suffering most at its hands.

Besides, although Dalits are victims of criminal discrimination and violence in this film, the portrayal of the community is layered and not limited to teary scenes of nameless persons wallowing in victimhood. The Dalits here are also its leaders and warriors, and Ayan is an ally, not a boss. For example, Nishad (Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub) and Gaura (Sayani Gupta) risk everything to battle injustice.

Alongside them exist silent sufferers too as does the very believable Jatav (Kumud Mishra) who plays along with existing practices for his survival. And when the motivation for the rape and murder of young Shanu and Mamta is revealed, we learn that they were instead brave fighters for Dalit rights and martyrs to their cause. And when words seem inadequate, the visuals take over.

The images in the film, some provocative and uncomfortable stand out, like the one where a man goes deep into a drain to unclog it and emerges soaked in the filth or the top shot of a group of policemen conducting a search in a swamp with their torchlights or the one where BR Ambedkar forlorn on his perch, watching his community’s struggles.

The scene with Ayan and the officers stumbling through the morning mist is eerily beautiful, until we see their faces crumple. This slow approach to the reveal of the bodies hanging from a tree is a rare flourish in a film that mostly keeps its head down and accumulates instead of trying to dress up its horrors.

There’s something very satisfying about the way director Anubhav Sinha and his co-writer, Gaurav Solanki, pile detail upon detail until the screen becomes heavy with suggestion. Many a sequence also hold attention, like the way Ayan admonishes Jatav and awakens the latter’s conscience, in the sequence of Bhramadatt (Manoj Pahwa) facing the main rapist, the scene where the constable Nihal Singh’s involvement in the crime and death are conveyed to his sister who is the cook in Ayan’s official quarters and also in how Ayan gets so hyper when he finds her missing one day.

Every now and then, director Sinha also releases the pressure. In one of the best scenes, Ayan asks his team members to reveal their caste affiliations to prove that hierarchy runs deep even within sub-castes. The answer to the same question in another scene is pure gold.

Sure, the protagonist’s introspection could have gone a little deeper. It would also be fair to say that things fall in place too easily for him. Along similar lines, despite excellent usage of silence in some scenes and even though the use of folk songs makes up for it, the use of the national song as background music to showcase irony is wearisome. Some of the laughs seem slightly gratuitous too.

However, the implausible portions balance out the moments that echo the headlines. For every scene that seems out of place, another comes along to remind us of why this film is effectively landing its punches, and most importantly, they are delivered with such conviction that you can’t really complain for too long.

As always, Ayushmann Khurana has you hooked instantly, belting out a riveting performance as the sincere, determined police officer. It’s an intense, gripping act as he gets under the skin of his character. His casting is an inspired choice, and works best in the scenes where the actor commands authority through sheer voice modulation. He doesn’t falter with his strategy of underplaying the character, making it as authentic as it can be.

As always, Manoj Pahwa and Kumud Mishra equally shine, while Sayani Gupta and Mohammad Zeeshan Ayyub deliver yet another impactful performance. In supporting roles, Isha Talwar, M Nassar, Ronjini Chakraborty, Sushil Pandey, Akash Dabhade, and Ashish Verma are also effective. On the whole, ‘Article 15’ is a powerful and spellbinding thriller, which offers a definitely relevant and compelling reflection of India’s lower caste society.