Article 15
Director: Anubhav Sinha
Year: 2019
Duration: 130 minutes
Music: NA
Rating: 7.5
It seems every
Bollywood film that I have picked recently has no musical numbers. What's
going on? But in truth, they would have been a poor fit in this intense crime
thriller revolving around murder, rape, politics, corruption and caste. Article
15 refers to a section in the Indian Constitution making it illegal to discriminate
against any one based on caste, ethnicity and religion. Good luck with that
anywhere in the world. But caste prejudices in particular are deeply ingrained
in Indian society. Much of this admittedly was a mystery to me, but I think
I got the gist of it. It is layers upon layers within layers of stratification.
In one scene the newly appointed head of a rural police force asks his men
what their caste is and they all know it and where it places them in the
hierarchy of society. And if they can shake hands or eat from the plates
of others.
Ayan (Ayushmann Khurrana) is assigned out
of Delhi and is from good schools and a father who was a top official in
the police. As a punishment he says. He understands nothing of the culture
of this part of the country. Of who wields power, or who can be trusted,
of the various political and social factions. His number two man, a crusty
old veteran (Manoj Pahwa) tries to fill him in and hold him back. "Sir, you
will soon be transferred but we will still be here and doing that will get
us killed someday".
This all comes to a boil when three teenage
girls go missing. The police seem uncaring. "Sir, they are only Dalits (Untouchables).
Just leave it alone". But Ayan won't and after finding two of them hanging
from a tree dead and raped, he refuses to back down even with pressure to
drop the case coming from above and his own men. It is very good and gains
weight and suspense as it goes along. There is so much going on around the
fringes of the film. The cinematography of the rural countryside and small
villages is lovely. Early morning mist rising over the swamp. Lush green
fields. And all the smaller roles are filled by actors who are just right.
Near the end director Anubhav Sinha pounds in the message when by that time
it wasn't really needed. It rightfully won a bunch of awards. No musical
numbers really, but Blowing in the Wind by Dylan plays on the soundtrack
early on, giving hints of the message of the film.
