Article 15 Vs. Kabir Singh

The movie Article 15 starring Ayushmann Khurrana, is going to be released on 28th June and I can't wait for it. The movie is based on true events, the 2014 Badaun gang rape case, where allegedly two girls were gang raped and murdered in the Katra village of Uttar Pradesh. Another event the movie is based on is the 2016 Una flogging incident where a Dalit family was harmed under the pretence of cow protection in Gujarat.

Both of these incidents sparked a lot of protests and were considerably controversial. But in the end, both of these cases garnered nothing. The Badaun case investigation led to the conclusion on the behalf of the CBI that there was no gang rape and the accused were set free. In the Una incident, the state government defected on its promise to the victims and denied of there ever being a record of the amenities that the victims should have been provided.

The movie is based around Article 15 of the Indian Constitution that forbids any form of discrimination based on the factors of caste, race, religion, sex or the place of birth. With such staggering cases being portrayed on the big screen, naturally there is going to be some controversy.

The issue that was at the centre of the controversy was that the Bhramin community was being depicted in a poor taste and that it was being invalidated. Even the Karni Sena got involved and demanded that the movie shouldn't be allowed to release. Director Anubhav Sinha denied any allegations of the movie being disrespectful to the Bhramin community. He further explained that the movie was cleared by the strict Central Bureau of Film Certification, who wouldn't have done so if the movie represented any such sensitive sentiments. He proclaimed to the news source Mid-Day,

[People] can disagree, but such overt threats must stop, once and for all. Filmmakers can't be constantly bullied.

Despite the controversies I'm much more excited about what this movie has to offer against the recent releases of Bollywood, especially Kabir Singh. The movie contained the extremely angry protagonist and the timid female protagonist. With constant attempts of self-destruction being glorified in this movie, another concern was that of the female protagonist and how she was being treated, but then some people disagreed as that was how the character was supposed to be portrayed. Despite people's love for Shahid Kapoor playing the notorious character of Kabir Singh, the movie felt like a step back for Bollywood.