Aligarh

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..