ARTICLE 15 is a 2019 Indian Hindi language crime- drama written ,produced and directed by Anubhav Singha . It follows a police investigation that commences after three teenage girls go missing from a small village.
The film deals with the Article 15 of the constitution which prohibits the discrimination of people against caste, religion, race, and sex. It is based on multiple true-life events including the 2014 Badaun gang rape allegations and 2016 Una flogging incident. This film talks how powerful “bribing” and “political power” is in the rural areas of many places in India. There are numerous cases of gang rape that take place every day, like it is some normal activity and they are also hidden.
The most astonishing thing that I found about this is that if a girl had disappeared no one was enquired about the disappearance of the girls, not even their parents. It felt as if they had been released from a burden. This rape and violence were subjected to Dalit (lower caste) teenage girls. They were made to work and if they asked about something or spoke up, they were subjected to violence. Fake reports were made, and post-mortem of the bodies were done, claiming it to be a natural death or a suicide. An IPS officer Ayan Ranjan (played by Ayushman Khurana) was posted in that small town where two rapes occurred, in Lalgaon. Due to his intense investigation the case was proved to be rape cases and the rapists were found after a profound search. Due to diligent officers like Ayan Ranjan these rape cases are reported otherwise they remain unreported due to so much negligence.
I found this movie to be very intriguing and informative . It is a very serious film but a bit slow. It gives a perfect scenario how Dalits especially Dalit women are treated in rural areas.
The film received positive reviews from critics for the sensitive portrayal of its subject matter, it is a two-hour long film and is a must watch.
