Article 15 Movie Review: A Brilliantly Cast Ayushmann Khurrana Pricks Your Conscience in Anubhav Sinha’s Gripping Social Drama

Article 15 Movie Review: In Article 15, the protagonist Ayan Ranjan (Ayushmann Khurrana) is introduced while travelling to his new posting, with the Bob Dylan song 'Blowin' in the wind' playing in the background. The lyrics go like this, 'How many roads must a man walk down. Before you call him a man?... The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind. The answer is blowin' in the wind.' With this song, Anubhav Sinha hints that not only is Ayan going to get challenged at his new workplace, but he could be the change that the wind brings. Article 15 has more such powerful metaphors. Article 15 Director Anubhav Sinha Pens an Open Letter For Everyone who Were Offended With the Film's Trailer; Assures Them None of the Communities are Shown in the Bad Light.

Ayan is posted in a hamlet called Lalgaon in Uttar Pradesh. From the moment he makes way into this village, Ayan gets a reality check on how caste discrimination has seeped into the mentality of the villagers, as well as in his own department. Perhaps at one point, he may have even doubted that the respect he is getting from his subordinates is more for his Brahmin lineage rather than his officer status. But what Ayan experienced on his first day is just the mere tip of the iceberg.

The real horror faces him the second day itself, when his team discovers two Dalits girls hung from a tree. The whole scene is aptly shot in an eerie manner with the effective use of fog (Cinematography by Ewan Mulligan) and making Ayan's expressions reflect our shock and disgust.

His senior subordinate Brahmadatt (Manoj Pahwa) insists on making it a case of honour killing and gets the girls' fathers arrested. No one bothers about the third Dalit girl who also went missing that night. Ayan takes it upon himself to find the culprits and the missing girl, while teaching his peers the significance of Article 15.

Well, in case you are also clueless about what Article 15 is, then no need to Google. Anubhav Sinha, through Ayan, lets the camera lingers on this article of our Constitution, that condemns any form of discrimination, with an effectual use of the National song playing in the BG.

Article 15 not just exposes how deeply entrenched casteism is within us, but also how other social ills are linked to it. From mob lynchings to gang-rapes to murders to even fake encounters, Article 15 tries to include every non-constitutional act that we read, see and often ignore, in news every day.  The scenes that show discrimination against the minorities are hard to watch, less for the visuals, and more for how they prick our conscience. Even in minor instances, you can see how people behave with regards to caste. Article 15: Here's What Censor Board Found Objectionable in Ayushmann Khurrana's Controversial Cop Drama.

Like, there is a scene where Ayan, while talking to his girlfriend on phone, sits on a table at a tea-shop. In the background, we can see a man, presumably of a lower caste and was sitting on that same table, gets up and walk away. In case he gets instigated for sharing the same piece of furniture as a higher caste man. This is just a very subtle example. Article 15 has far more powerful scenes, including a close-up scene of a sewage worker doing his job. This is a movie that talks about the construction of toilets in every nook and corner; at the same time, it also laments that many people die trying to clean the gutters than on the borders.

Article 15 has the potential to go preachy; at a couple of points, it almost does. What pulls the movie back from going overboard is how Anubhav Sinha wraps the various social ills he wants to highlight through a very taut investigative thriller. This is an excellent strategy that worked for him in Mulk too, where the persecution of a religion is entwined in a courtroom drama. The investigation drama has its moments, with some revelations that would crawl under our skin. Yes, there are influences of Alan Parker's 1988 film Mississippi Burning. But Sinha only lets Article 15 have parallels of racism with the Hollywood film, letting his narrative veer away from the latter.

Anubhav Sinha has made a movie that will make almost every one of us squirm in our seats; at some point of the film, we can identify ourself as an exploiter or a mute bystander or even a hapless victim. In a prickly scene, Ayan chastises his activist girlfriend Aditi (Isha Talwar) for trying to make a hero out of him. She replies that it would be better to be someone who is there for the people, without the need for making them wait for a hero.

Yes, Ayan Ranjan is not your usual cop hero, both by the characterisation and the apt casting of Ayushmann Khurrana. Unlike an Ajay Devgn in Aakrosh (a movie with similar themes), Ayan doesn't involve in any sort of violence; unless you count anguished glares as a violent act. In fact, the only heroic slap is delivered by a supporting character to an irksome chap. Being an outsider, a London-educated youth, he believes in an India he is proud of, a sentiment we often share on Facebook and WhatsApp. When he doesn't find that in Lalgaon, he changes that by bringing the Constitution in play, even when his own people tell him nothing's going to change. A character even reminds him that BR Ambedkar, who is the architect of our Constitution, has sworn to burn it if it is ever misused. And yet, Ayan strives to get results without going beyond what the law asks him to. It is good to see a protagonist who doesn't resort to front-benchers-pleasing tactics and yet manages to get enough claps by the end.

Watch the trailer of Article 15 here:

It also helps that Anubhav Sinha and Gaurav Solanki have written some very powerful dialogues, that take potshots from political powerplays to rampant corruption. Sinha also manages to make the movie song-less, a fine decision, indeed.

The Performances

I was a little sceptical when I saw Ayushmann Khurrana as a cop in the trailer. While I was justified in my scepticism (and that worked in favour of the film), I was totally wrong in ever thinking that Khurrana was miscast. In perhaps his most powerful performance, Ayushmann brings out a performance that blends societal shock with righteous anguish. He is particularly terrific in the scene where he asks for the castes of his subordinates, and later, a face-off scene with a CBI officer (Nasser).

Not just Khurrana, all the actors in the cast have put their best foot forward. Manoj Pahwa, who was brilliant in Mulk as the victim of suspicious circumstances, gets a role reversal here. In Article 15, he is effectively slimy as the shady cop wanting to close the case as fast as possible. Kumud Mishra as the lower-caste cop, eager to please his superiors, delivers another excellent act. The same goes for Mohammed Zeeshan and Sayani Gupta. Ayyub plays Nishad, a Robin-Hood-like figure for the Dalits, who gets some of the strongest lines and delivers them with panache. Sayani Gupta is first-rate as Gaura, the bold sister of the missing girl. Isha Talwar, whom Malayalam fans adore as Aisha from Thattathin Marayathu, is good as Ayan's conscience keeper.

Yay!

- A Strong Narrative

- Performances

- Anubhav Sinha's Direction

- Effective Surprises and Shocks

Nay!

- Gets A Little Preachy At A Couple of Occasions

- The Pace Lags in the Middle Portions

Final Thoughts

When Ayan Ranjan gets inside the police headquarters for the first time, there are portraits of Ambedkar and Gandhiji hung on the wall. Anubhav Sinha pays respect to both these legends, first by focusing on the Article 15 clause near the interval. Then towards the end, we get to hear 'Vaishnava Jana', Gandhiji's favourite song in a very lovely scene. Article 15 not only is a tribute to what these leaders represented, but also holds a stark, sturdy mirror to what we are becoming. Brilliantly written, brilliantly performed, Article 15 is impactful beyond measure!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 26, 2019 10:11 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).