Aligarh
Cast: Manoj Bajpai, Rajkummar Rao, Ashish Vidyarthi
Rated: 8/10
It is a story of shy and lonely 64-year-old professor Dr SR Siras from Aligarh Muslim University who loved listening to lata Mangeshkar songs and enjoyed his evening drink. But sometimes personal lives of some people become public and Siras was one such tragedy struck person.
Most would know what befell this learned Marathi linguist after some goons barged into his bedroom, beat him and his “friend” up and took some objectionable pictures to splash them in the local press — suspended from the university for being homosexual, he committed suicide after a court battle which reinstated him as don.
But Aligarh is not about homosexuality, as censor board chief Pahlaj Nihalani said, giving it an ‘A’ certificate; it is about a man who was witch-hunted for being an outsider and chairman of the languages Department in the university. “Dekho mein yahan bahar ka aadmi samjha jata hoon, an outsider. Urdu bolney wale sheher mein Marathi sikhata hoon, shaadi shuda logon ke beech mein akela rehta hoon,” Siras tells Rajkummar Rao, who plays a journalist and befriends the professor.
As the story progresses, it makes one question the moralistic rules that the society has laid down; the demarcation between what is right and what is wrong and the right to privacy. Is it really okay to enter into someone’s bedroom and film private momentsIJ Most will say what happens behind closed doors should remain private. So why is it that when it involves two people of the same sex the moral brigade is up in armsIJ Why is it that it is not okay for two men to share private moments in their bedroom but for a man and a woman to make out in the openIJ
What makes this film’s release timely is because the Supreme Court recently decided to review its 2013 judgment that reinstated a law — criminalising gay sex.
The film saddens you because here is a man who doesn’t take the word ‘love’ lightly. like Dr Siras says: “Kabhi love ko bhi samjhne ki koshish kiya karo; it is a beautiful word.” He is naive, innocent and gives a coy shy smile when he is told he is handsome. But he is also a man who is lonely and whose fragility touches your heart. It is a poignant film; a gem of a movie by Hansal Mehta with a superb performance by Bajpai and some brilliant writing by Apurva Asrani.
After Neerja, this is an unmissable movie for this week.