Article 15 (2019)

generally movie going for me is a planned process, check the timing book the seats plan the day……..and lot more planning so it works out. it is very rare that i go for a movie impromptu, so rare that when i finally end up doing it last year i said why not a choose two movies at random in the theater and watch them …….first among them was

the 2019 Bollywood starring Ayushmann Khurrana, Manoj Pahwa, Nassar, Kumud Mishra, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub and directed by Anubhav Sinha.

the movies is based on true events and still continue to happen in India mainly due to the caste system that even though abolish and prohibited by the constitution of India still has a prevalent impact in the rural regions of India as a ignored reality of India, that exists by never truly acknowledged. the movie begins with the a scene of 2 Dalit girls being ganged up by some guys in a bus, from here we are introduced to Ayan (Ayushmann Khurrana) who is newly posted as the Additional Superintendent of Police of the region. since his arrival into the town the caste discrimination among the residents is seem in various instances. the next morning the bodies of the 2 girls is found hanging for a tree, upon learning the they were gang raped and not murdered investigation is called upon yet the main staff of police are hesitant to go along with it and Brahmadutt Singh (Manoj Pahwa) the next in charge of the station tries to change the case into that of murder by honor killing as the girls were of a lower caste. as the story progresses we are told about the existence of a 3rd girl who might have survived and is missing this story thread is used to give some light at the end of such a murky tunnel. we get to know that the reason from this incident happening to the girls was just because they asked for a increase in wage of 3 rupees. the dishearted effort of the police into this case enrages Aryan who prompts to pin the Article 15 of the Indian Constitution on the billboard as a reminder to all the police officers to first and foremost be Indians and that any kind of caste discrimination is a criminal offence and continues to probe into the case.

hoping to find the 3rd girl and catch the culprit.

the high points of the movie for me was the tone, it held its serious tone all throughout the movie utilizing amazing cinematography by Ewan Mulligan to visually entice us in the scenes at the same time not brake the mood by utilizing the colour pallets of the scene with care. the cast did a splendid job especially, Manoj Pahwa whom i have only experiences with comedy to see him pull of such a twisted serious character made me really invested in his character arc, as for Ayushmann Khurrana let just say this was a movie he chose wisely as this movie showcased his range in acting by tackling a much serious subject matter and doing a great job in it.

this movie was defiantly among the better movies of last year.

65 movies down………..435 to go.

see you soon

alvida.