Aligarh

Bollywood is definitely evolving experimenting on different and unique subjects. The silver lining is the untold stories of various characters and events which were lost in time is being brought back with sheer devotion and sincerity. January started with a bang releasing the story of evacuation of 1,70,000 Indians from Kuwait in Airlift and February followed with a gallant story of flight attendant rescuing 359 passengers from terrorist-hijacked plane in Neerja. After giving National Award winning film Shahid, Hansal Mehta is back with yet riveting bio-pic drama Aligarh that raises the question on self-righteousness and breaking the barrier.

Aligarh tells the true story in which Manoj Bajpayee plays a homosexual professor Dr Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras at the Aligarh University who is suspended from his job when he is caught in a sting operation.

Last year, it was Manjhi-The Mountain Man, Bajirao Mastani followed by Airlift and Neerja. The best part of watching these biographies is the inspiring and motivating stories which has resulted to outstanding appreciation from both audience and critics. It takes courage and guts to make a film like Aligarh.

The movie opens with a bang giving you goose-bumps. As the movie progress, you will be sucked into the film and the entire credit goes to Hansal Mehta for doing a fantastic research on the event which changed life of Dr. Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras. The court room- drama, friendship between Manoj Bajpai and Rajkumar Rao and even the climax sequences are definitely the highlight of the film. Screenplay is engaging. Art direction and cinematography is simple yet powerful. Manoj Bajpai has delivered a solid performance. He fits into the character as if it was tailor-made for him. Rajkumar Rao lends in a good support.

A big thumbs up for brilliant direction, admiring performances and electrifying screenplay.

– Ketan Gupta

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.

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.

Hansal Mehta's 'Aligarh' is a lot of things, but firstly, its a Near-Masterpiece. Mehta's Direction captures a true-story, that causes repulsion, anger & sympathy while the narrative flows. This is indeed Powerful Storytelling.

'Aligarh' is The true story of Dr. Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras, who was suspended from his job because of his sexual orientation.

'Aligarh' is challenging as well as affecting. You watch the protagonist struggle for being who he is. His journey, with great support from a reporter, who befriends him, is quietly devastating. 'Aligarh' is about the devils in our society, about the bigots, the merciless that exist among us. This is an important story, that's been told sensitively.

Apurva Asrani's Screenplay is excellent. Sure, its slow-moving, but the affect it leaves, is brilliant. Mehta's Direction is fabulous. 'Shahid' & now 'Aligarh', Mehta has found his voice in these true-stories & has depicted them with masterful treatment.

'Aligarh' is rested on the shoulders of Manoj Bajpai and Rajkummar Rao. And the SUPREMELY Talented Actors are dueling Brando's here. No Kidding, this is Acting in its purest form. Bajpai's portrayal of Dr. Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras, is graceful, devastating & a definition in subtlety. You watch a man broken, & his body-language, as well as his soft dialogue-delivery, left me awe-struck. Rao isn't far behind. As Journalist Deepu Sebastian, Rao gets a lesser showy role, but he delivers an effortlessly natural performance, that packs a solid punch. Bajpai & Rao are so committed in their parts, I forgot I was actually watching two actors performing parts. National-Awards, are you hearing? A Special Mention for Ashish Vidyarthi, who enacts the righteous lawyer, extraordinarily.

Dr. Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras was questioned for being who is was. The late teacher was found dead in 2010. But, didn't the people around him kill him way before that? Of course, he found friend in a reporter & got further support from a lawyer who screamed for justice, but did the people who respected him for years, eventually respect him? Being Gay isn't Criminal, Being Homophobic is. 'Aligarh' painfully captures a man's secrecy being questioned, ridiculed. Are we really gonna judge people even now for their sexuality? Are we again going to stay silent when our hogwash law criminalises Homosexuality? Are we going to tolerate bigots? My Answer Is NO. What's yours?

Until then, Watch 'Aligarh'.

A must see flick! Bajpai has delivered a restrained performance and yet he brings out the innocence and purity of Prof. Siras's soul. The pain and anguish can be seen in his eyes and his attire and body language for a 64 yr man was just too good. this is method acting at its peak! this is a performance even Jack Nicholson, tom hanks or a Daniel Day Lewis would be proud of. his performance will haunt you for long. the direction and screenplay is also brilliant and the way in which the subject was handle has to be appreciated. his soliloquy while listening to Lata Mangeshkar is brilliant. The court scenes and argument were well written and filmed. Rajkumar Rao as journalist has also done justice to his role. the pace has been kept deliberately a little which allows you to get to the skin of characters. the ending though sad leaves an ever lasting impression. All in all one of the great movies of our time!