Article 15 Review: Refreshingly Realistic!

Anubhav Sinha’s Article 15 may be one of the most important movies of this year and it definitely lives up to those expectations. This movie deals with some very important social issues that plague modern India – the caste system and its impacts. The story is based on several incidents that happened over the past few years, particularly the rape and murder of two young girls in Badayun, UP. In the film, the cops are unwilling to investigate the case as the victims belong to a lower caste when they are reported missing. When the two girls turn up dead, the police pin the murders on the girl’s families without conducting an investigation.

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Enter Ayan Ranjan (Ayushmann Khurrana), an IPS officer newly posted to the area. Ayan plays a great contrast to the rest of the cops. He is baffled by how the caste system still has its tentacles deep in our society. This is especially true of the rural parts of the country which form the backdrop of this movie. There is a powerful scene in the movie where the protagonist explains to everyone what Article 15 of the Indian Constitution stands for, without ever saying a word. Article 15 is full of powerful imagery like that and they form the strongest parts of this movie.

The director does a great job with the film as he avoids taking political sides. He chips away at the façade of the society and uncovers its hideous secrets. Some scenes are gruesome and hard to look at but they are the most important parts of this film. There are no song and dance sequences in this film – as it should be. The runtime of 2 hours and 20 minutes is appropriate. The pacing of the film is very good as it proceeds through the investigation. 

The only real issue I had here was that they picked up too many story threads. As a result, some of them fade into the background as the film moves to its conclusion without any resolution. For Ex – the story of Nishad (Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub) feels incomplete until a hasty end, probably because of the edit.

The cast is the backbone of this film and Ayushmann Khurrana leads from the front. Although he has done some great movies in his career, Andhadhun and Badhaai Ho come to mind immediately, but Article 15 is on another level. This character was probably the most challenging role for him and he more than does justice to it. Veterans Kumud Mishra and Manoj Pahwa provide great support. Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub and Sayani Gupta also shine in smaller roles.

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Article 15 could so easily have been a heavy-handed film as it tries to show the realities of the caste system in India. Instead, it opts for a realism that is refreshing and allows the audience to absorb the story on their own. This is a must-watch movie for everyone because sometimes those of us in the cities lose touch with the real India and this story is a real eye-opener.

Rating – 4/5 | Grade – A

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