by Inakshi Chandra-Mohanty
Hindi cinema has often strayed away from conversations on caste. In this industry, films that allude to caste, keep their discussion in a certain limitation staying away from more serious debate on the issue. Non-Hindi Indian cinema, however, has many films that center around caste-based differences. In fact, many of the Hindi film remakes of regional films, adapt the films in such a way that the caste issues are eliminated and replaced with other issues. For example, the Marathi film, Sairat, is about two lovers who have trouble uniting due to caste differences. In comparison, its Hindi remake, Dhadak, makes no mention of caste and focuses on social status and class instead. Hindi cinema veers away from caste, while regional cinema gives more importance to it, because caste is extremely region-specific, and Hindi films cater to a pan-Indian audience. Though some caste groups are known prominently throughout the country, the specifics of the hierarchy and the names are different depending on the region. However, Article 15 delves into this issue by focusing on two general groups, the Brahmins and the Dalits, to demonstrate how caste discrimination can create biases and unwarranted cover ups in a murder investigation. Based off of a true story, Article 15 is the story of a young IPS officer, Ayan (Ayushmann Khurrana), who is transferred to a remote village, where he encounters a case that seems to be one of honor killing, but discovers that there is more to it than what meets the eye.
Anubhav Sinha creates a beautiful, morose atmosphere with the audio-visuals. The blue tinge along with the faded visuals make the setting mysterious and the close-ups and slow movements of the camera build the suspense. The village is made to be a world in its own, distant from the modern, urban world we are exposed to today, yet grounded through the characters and their interactions with one another. The background score also contributes to this dark, suspenseful mood.
The writing in the first half is concise and has a satisfactory build up of the core of the murder investigation. It could have easily become preachy but Anubhav Sinha manages to show the vast discrimination through conflict and actions rather than words. Just the visuals of the girl’s hanging bodies, and the teary-eyed, grief-filled face of Sayani Gupta as she desperately searches for her missing sister are enough to portray the bigotry and grave injustice that Dalits face on a daily basis. However, the film doesn’t delve deep enough and in many instances, especially in the way it ends, it just scathes the surface of the issue. Though the title of the film is Article 15, there is barely any mention or description of it apart from the momentous interval moment when Ayan pins up a copy of the article for the rest of his department to read and internalize. After this point, the film derails in terms of story and writing. The atmosphere and characters remain effective, but towards the last 20-30 minutes, the story reached a stale point where it seems as if the writer did not know how to reach a satisfying ending. The search for Pooja becomes exhausting and predictable and though the ending gives some relief, it isn’t impactful enough.
The performances are fantastic. Ayushmann Khurrana is surprisingly good as he is able to demonstrate a level of subtlety that keeps the film from becoming preachy. He has officially graduated from playing the cute small town hero in romantic comedies to a leveled cop in a serious drama. His role in Andhadhun was the transition into a more versatile array of characters, but with Article 15 he has truly proven that he can play any character. Manoj Pahwa as the corrupt police officer creates a feeling of disgust towards his character as he crosses all levels of humanity. Never have I been so utterly repulsed by a character as he behaves in a selfish and inhumane manner. Out of all the actors, Sayani Gupta’s portrayal of a Dalit woman in search of her missing sister, was the weakest. Though she emotes very well through her eyes and facial expressions, her diction is not accurate. It doesn’t match the other characters from her community. She looks the part, but she can’t speak the part. This is very disjointing as it removes us from the illusion and the world that Anubhav Sinha is attempting to create. The remainder of the cast, including Kumud Mishra, Ashish Verma, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Ronjini Chakraborty, and Nassar are all exemplary in their respective parts.
Making the lead protagonist and the lead antagonists Brahmin is a great choice as the filmmaker is able to show that the caste itself is not evil, and it is just a select group of people within the caste, that decide to use it as an excuse for discrimination against people who they want to keep below them in status. The Brahmin caste isn’t malicious, but the idea of inequality and gross injustice against the Dalits, practiced by some Brahmins on the name of caste is wrong. And the film advocates for the idea that we need more upper caste citizens like Ayan to keep a check on those upper caste people that use their power to marginalize lower castes. Article 15, despite its flaws, maintains a strong level of entertainment for a majority of the film and it is important for it to be acknowledged as a reality of Indian society today.
