Director Aditya Suhas Jambhale Article 370 has that rare stamp of excellence on every frame that differentiates the pulpy propaganda of the Kashmir and Kerala kind from a film that actually has its research in place and is so focussed on telling a gripping though authentic story, that it forgets there are people out there, lots of them, who don’t want to hear the truth.
The truth, my beloved nation, is not always sugar-coated in cinema. Nor does it need to be unnecessarily brackish. Not that Article 370 takes the middle path. Far from it. The film is crafted with the diligence of a Kashmiri carpet, at the same it conveys the smooth moves of a shikara on Dal Lake. Even when a bomb goes off, there is no stopping absorb the shock.
Am I eulogizing a work that takes off from Frame One and never stops to catch its breath? I am! This is a film that must be seen by every Indian. Several episodes in this stunning political drama are heart-stopping in their intensity.
When we see the film’s hero, Zooni Haksar (Yami Gautam), for the first time, she is pretending to be a beautician paying a visit to a bratty girl in Srinagar who is in an affair with a hardcore terrorist(Burhan, if you must know).
The irony of a no-nonsense intelligence agent logging into the terror conclave that had taken over the Kashmir Valley with the connivance of local religious leaders and politicians masquerading as a cosmetic agent is not lost on us.
This is an impressively staged chronicle of the events leading up to the abrogation of Article 370 in the Valley. It is volatile and vibrant. But seldom does it reach into the crevices of patriotic cliches to get brownie points.
And listen, there is not a shot of the Indian flag anywhere! For a film which is fiercely patriotic at heart, that in itself is a miracle.
The atmosphere bristles with reined-in tension. There is no room for smiles and loving glances, although I suspect Zooni is in love with a fellow soldier, Yash Chauhan(Vaibhav Tatwawadi). The only song that plays during the film is at a crucial juncture when Zooni and we, the audience, realize there was something between them—too late.
The buildup to the main event (the abrogation) is stealthy and serene. The camerawork (Siddharth Vasani) delicately picks the shards of human consciousness out of the massive destruction in the Valley. It’s like looking at a broken mirror, which reflects a truth that is unbearable but unavoidable.
The performances are uniformly brilliant. Yami Gautam and Priya Mani (as the PM’s special assistant) make two of the unlikeliest heroes of a political film. Yami’s monologue about the tragedy of a lost civilization and Priya Mani’s collection of sarees are almost parallel characters in the movie, which wastes no time on tears.
There is too much to do. Some gimmicky performances, like Raj Zutshi as a Kashmiri politician and Divya Seth as a Mehbooba-like CM, could have been avoided. These minor glitches apart, every component in this political drama is restrained, clenched and coiled.
Jambhale could hardly contain his joy while describing how he decided to make a film on the procedure that went into the abrogation of Article 370. “I am a big fan of Western political thrillers, and I always felt in India there weren’t any references for such kind of a film. So, it was a challenge in the first place. The only mantra I followed was, go with what my heart says, and don’t get into calculations.”
Aditya feels the original material on the table and the research already had the inherent drama. “I had to recognise and identify it and thereafter cinematically present it. In this, every department deserves the credit. The treatment was the core for this kind of a film. If the treatment is interesting, then the drama is bound to connect with the audience. I would like to mention the editor of this film, Shiv Panicker, who deserves a great deal of credit. Not to forget the music by Shashwat Sachdev. Overall, the entire team believed in the drama; no one ever doubted it. That was the key, I guess.”
Aditya is thrilled by the audiences’ response. “It’s amazing. The audience reactions in the theatres, the emotions, the slogans, the claps, whistles, just makes me emotional as a Hindustani. I am truly grateful to the audience and the entire team which supported me. Having my debut as a theatrical release and then to get this kind of response and reactions is just unbelievable. But having said that, I also would like to say I dreamt about this. During the time I worked on this film, I did believe this might happen one day, and destiny was kind enough.”
The director whose short film Amritsar Junction prior to Article 370 was highly acclaimed, says he was not thinking of the box-office while making his first feature film. “When I was making the film, I was true to my vision. I never tried thinking about what the audience would like, nor did I make any calculations. Because I think, as a filmmaker, that is not the right approach. I told this story the way it excited me in my soul and heart. Lots of people have told me that the audience is not ready for a political action thriller, but I have always believed that if told with full conviction and correct intent, the film will be received well.”
The research for Article 370 was arduous. “It took around five months. The biggest challenge was to get information from different scattered resources, because none of it was in public domain. We spoke to some investigative journalists, and other sources as well. After compiling all the events, dates, and significant pointers, we started connecting the dots, and the picture became crystal clear. By the end of it we ourselves felt like we had become the investigative journalists.”
Aditya is not perturbed by allegations of the film labelled pro-government propaganda. “The day I started the work on this film, I knew these allegations would follow. But I frankly don’t think about it anymore. I think the film and the craft need to answer these type of allegations it. Additionally, I honestly believe Indian audiences are smart and very well aware of a filmmaker’s intentions. You can’t fool the Indian audience; they will watch the film and form their opinion based on what they see and feel.
Aditya was convinced about the abrogation of the special-provisions article in Jammu & Kashmir. “I truly believe that Kashmir was, is and will always be part of India, and the mission to abrogate article 370 is one of the most intelligent and successful missions ever carried out in the Indian history. I was emotional when the decision had taken place on 5 August 2019. Thus, I made the film with very clear intentions of projecting the truth.”
The rest, says Aditya, was up to the audience. “Once I finish a film, it is the audience’s property. For me, the important thing is to be satisfied as a filmmaker. I did justice with the film and remained true and loyal to the vision I set out for myself. Now, when people get emotional and react to the film in theatres, that makes me happy, humble, and immensely grateful that despite my young age and despite this being my first film, people are showering it with love and support.”
