Aligarh

Aligarh was chosen as the opening film of the Mumbai Film Festival and I went to see it wondering if the story, based on real life events, had been sanitized for the screen. To the screenplay writer and director's credit it has not. The sad story of 64 year old Professor Sirus, who was suspended and systematically harassed by Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) for having gay sex with a cycle-rickshaw driver, has been told here in all its poignancy. In it's time, it was a big case for gay rights in India, but Sirus was a frustratingly difficult protagonist, an unattractive personage unwillingly to face the media, unwilling to identify as gay, unable to see the larger issues at stake. Manoj Bajpayee does an excellent job in the complex role of the unhappy Sirus, with all its contradictions. He's shown drinking excessively every night, listening to maudlin Lata Mangeshkar songs. I don't know if Rajkumar Rao is based on a real-life character, but he plays a crucial role as the reporter who tries to draw Sirus out of his shell. He only party succeeds. For one, Sirus was very proud of his position as professor of Marathi at AMU and he was very loyal to AMU itself. He tells Rao he the victim of campus politics because he was promoted to chair the linguistics department, provoking petty jealousies. People knew he was homosexual and used it against him, sending two goons to break into his house to film him having sex. What followed was a downward spiral, but Hansal Mehta somehow manages to keep things from getting too depressing. One interesting scene has the now famous Professor Sirus being invited to a sophisticated gay gathering while in the city, where his newfound fans insist he sing a Marathi song. He does so, rather badly, and then collapses drunk.

#Aligarh: Don't you dare watch this movie if homosexuality makes you laugh or mocking like 'gay' makes you feel more macho..

Aligarh is a powerfully sensitive cinema, never ever dared before on the canvas of Bollywood.. Aligarh is like that hot lava cake which will melt you with it's incredible portrayal of a person who is a homosexual, yet an outcast, he is blessed with the notion of love, yet afraid of the society, who is declared an immoral, yet teaches us lessons of morality which no book can..

Manoj Bajpayee has delivered a scintillating performance of a lifetime, which I am sure very few actors can even dream of achieving.. He shivers, he cries, he shouts, he hides like a cat, he loves, he lives.. he inspires.

If India should send one movie to Oscars this year, it has to be Aligarh. 5/5

(Warning: This is a sensitive cinema & watch it with some sensitivity.. Some scenes are too graphic, kind of normal for an average Hollywood lover, but can be a bit shocking for an Indian movie goer. Had a fight with a group of morons who were laughing on some scenes as if the entire morality responsibility has been imposed on them. They had to be forcefully evacuated from the theater, and thankfully, people supported me.)

Aligarh picks a take on all known issues and problems in the society regarding homosexuality. The best part is the decency of the storyline in which it has been structured. It has been edited well and flows respectfully. It could've been a wonder if the gripping nature would've been maintained. But often it digresses from the plot and disconnects the viewer.

Wonderfully directed by Hansal Mehta, he takes his sweet time in detailing irrelevant things. Many times it makes sense but only if editing is proper. Nevertheless, the effort is fantastic in getting the whole plot together.

Rajkummar Rao is just not stopping to improve himself with every movie. He has the sense of maintaining the required body language all through. Manoj Bajpayee underplayed a lot too much but delivered a good performance.

Overall, a decent and a respectful take on homosexuality but could've been a wonder if gripping nature would've been maintained.

In one of the moving scenes towards the end a tired old man fighting for his right and dignity sadly tells his journalist friend, "soch raha hoon main Umrika chale jayun. Udhar mere Jase log chain Se re-he sakte hai". That sentence takes me back to my formative years when different sexual orientations were not openly discussed & acknowledged in the society. It was a time when a slightest trait of homosexuality was ridiculed. With time and experience there's many like me who have evolved and understood what freedom is but sadly a large section of the nation are still cocooned in a regressive time wrap. Aligarh is a poignant critique of such a homophobic invasive society that tries to control the lives of others.

Hansal Mehta should be appreciated for choosing a film on real-life academician Dr Ramchandra Siras who was denied his job in the Aligarh University due to his sexual orientation. They left no-stone unturned to make his life a living nightmare. The film gives a harrowing picture of the grudges of an illogical moss-back community thrown to a sensitive man who was full of love and poetry. Beyond this sensitive issue credit goes to Ishani Banerjee (story) & Apurva Asrani (screenplay) for making a heart warming commentary on loneliness and desire for love. Mehta's film has a certain pace which is in-sync with Dr Siras – calm, soft and poetic and the dialogs add on to the mood. One of my favorite dialogs is when Dr Siras calmly reacts to the word "gay"- "koi mere feeling KO 3 aksharon mien kaise samjah sakte hai". Brilliant!! The courtroom sequences on the issue of moral policing deserves attention. Within my limited understanding of this medium I can confidently say that Manoj Bajpayee's portrayal of the ordeal of the real-life professor shall go down as a landmark performance in the history of Hindi cinema. What a fabulous actor!! Rajkumar Rao is another great talent who gave an able support to Bajpayee.

Like last week's Neerja we got another film on a real-life hero : Dr Siras, a social martyr who fought for a cause - for individual freedom & the right to live one's life respectfully.

If possible please support the film & the cause behind it..

Reviewing this after the Supreme Court's historic judgement of decriminalizing homosexuality- September 2018

I was waiting for an opportune time to watch this film and could find none better than the day after this historic judgement.

This film is based on the real life story of Dr Siras, a professor of Aligarh Muslim University. He was hounded out of his job, due to being 'caught' with another man in the privacy of his home! He fought this injustice in court and his job was restored by the judiciary, but he was forced to commit suicide or even murdered. The way the film captures his story is beautiful. It will force any thinking human being to introspect on his or her prejudices against anyone.

Manoj Bajpayee as Prof Siras is immense; he carries the film on his shoulders and shows just how beautiful a person the professor was. He was a simple man, content in doing his job, and really good at his work. The way Bajpayee manages to flesh the character out is what the essence of good acting is. The dignity of his character and his vulnerability will make you cry as to how our heartless society treated such a person. Rajkumar Rao as the reporter who manages to strike a rapport with the professor, has done his job. There could have been a little less focus on his backstory as it does not add a lot to the film.

So all in all, this is a film to experience and hopefully to introspect on where we as a society have been going wrong. People such as Siras are meant to be respected and treasured; and not hounded; and the day that happens will mean that we as a society have arrived.