Hindi cinema rarely challenges its audience. But, Article 15 is going to challenge you. Yesterday, I watched the film “Article 15”, directed by Anubhav Sinha. It was then that I realized, it is the first mainstream film to talk about the caste system so blatantly and unflinchingly in the history of Hindi cinema.
The title of the film revolves around Article 15 of the Indian Constitution, which sanctions the Right to Equality to all Indian citizens. It prohibits discrimination of Indians on the basis of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth. And the film tries to showcase that our Constitution framed by Dr Ambedkar is under threat today. It narrates the story of a village in U.P., where the caste divides are referred to as ‘santulan’ (balance)—brought in by Brahmaji—which is a common belief all over India. “Sab barabar ho gaye to raja kaun banega?” (If all will become equal then who would be the king?), asks a character in the film. The question is, “do we need a king at all?”.
The script of the film is tight and well-packaged with the right amount of seriousness, drama and light-hearted moments with perfect timing. The film is based on the 2014 gangrape and murder case involving two minor girls in Uttar Pradesh’s Badaun district. The girls belonged to the Dalit Maurya community and were allegedly kidnapped, gangraped and hanged from a tree in Katra Sadatganj. The tagline of the film states: “Farq bahut kar liya, ab farq laayenge” (We have discriminated enough, now we will bring about a change). And I’m sure the film genuinely tries to make a difference.
The film is not just about an upper caste officer trying to save the Dalits; it is more than that. The film is also a tale of Dalit revolutionaries like Nishad, who had to come up to fight this centuries-old oppression. And this tale needs to be told. In the film, Nishad twirls his moustache, like Chandra Shekhar Azad, saying, “hum akhiri thode na hain”. He is not the last one to take on the oppression in this ongoing hard-fought battle. There will be more, and it’ll go on until the caste system exists in our society.
The film also talks about how Dalits are considered a minority and “ashudh” even when they comprise 70% of the Indian population. This socio-political drama has been released in India at the right time when the country is witnessing an alarming rate of communal violence based on caste and religion amidst the rise of a Hindutva government. Anubhav Sinha’s “Article 15” and “Mulk” are two of the most important films that every Indian must watch today.
And I warn you, if you are an upper caste person who is unknowingly or deliberately indulged in caste and political polarisation, the film “Article 15” is going to make you uncomfortable. And it should make you uncomfortable.