Aligarh

                                                     

Directed by: Hansal Mehta
Written by: Apurva Asrani
Cast: Manoj Bajpayee, Rajkumar Rao
Aligarh is a heart moving story of a homosexual marathi professor Mr SR Siras who got suspended by Aligarh university after being caught in an objectionable state with a young rikshaw puller in his bedroom​. While everyone blamed the professor for being an extremely bad influence, no one cared about his privacy being invaded. This issue was raised by a young journalist Dippu Sibastian. The film is extremely sensitive and attacks directly on one's heart. The best thing in the film is acting of Mr Bajpayee. The way he has portrayed the tiniest details of the character is just outstanding. His expressions while drinking and getting lost in the lyrics of the songs of Lata Mangeshkar is so fine that actually makes you feel his pain. The strange shyness or hesitation while he talks, due to a sense of not being understood by anyone makes it more authentic and Manoj Bajpayee has nailed it completely. Rajkumar Rao has also acted very well. But I'm sorry Mr Rao, Mr. Bajpayee has eaten up your credits. Throughout the movie, I couldn't put my eyes off this man. He has actually lived his character and it was just beautiful to acknowledge that. And that's the quality of his acting.

Coming to the story and dialogues, the story is based on a real incidence and very well framed. The dialogues are so powerful as well. The way Sirus, explains Dippu about the labels society puts on you is something very deep. This dialogue " koi meri feeling Ko teen aksharon mein kaise samjh skta hai?" has created a debate in my head. Dialogues indeed force you to think. His explainations about love and uncontrollable urge is something that has a deep impact. Sirus writes poetry, and his poem " Oh beloved moon" has just melted my heart like anything. It is just so beautiful and attacks directly on your emotional level. You are forced to rethink about all the prefixed concepts of right and wrong that society has created. Why if someone goes beyond these concepts, is criminalised. Why? Don't we have the right to live the way we are? Why homosexuals are not given this right? If they don't interfere in our life, what is our right to interfere in theirs? And the worst part is they are criminalised again in 2013. I mean really? What's wrong with the system.

Without diverting much, I would say Aligarh is something that has raised many questions. And the direction is superb. There is scene when Dippu makes out with his boss and a cut to a scene where Sirus makes out with his friend, this contrast between two worlds is shown in a manner that makes audience to feel the hypocrisy of this society. By the end of the movie, I wanted the answers of the things that left unanswered, like what has happened to his friend (The Rikshha puller) and Who killed Mr Siras?

On a deeper level of thinking, a question that comes out is: " Was Dippu also a homo?" Because if you recollect all the incidences, you get some hints from his characters, like how desperatly he wanted to cover the story and how he felt initially uncomfortable when he makes out with his boss, how he breaks down when he gets a message regarding Mr Sirus's death and how he runs after having a look at his corpse.

Definately, it's just a wild possibility and nothing has been established by the director, which is indeed a beautiful thing. As we are left for creating our interpretations.

So Aligarh is a film that openly questions the orthodox norms of our society and this kind of movies should definitely be made. And the way Hansal Mehta has dealt with the sensitivity of the issue is indeed commendable.

A must watch!

Hitesh Malik