Movie Review: Aligarh

I generally write movie reviews only on films I see in the theatre. But I think I am going to make an exception for Aligarh. I saw it yesterday and am still so affected by it, that I had to put my thoughts on paper. Though it would be very difficult to describe what I felt and am still feeling - all the helplessness and the sadness.

Aligarh is a masterpiece, and an understated one at that. It takes a very sensitive topic and presents it to us without any melodrama. Just as it is. And it touches you. When you finish watching it, you are affected, you are sad. And not because the movie showed sadness. But because it didn’t.

Aligarh is based on the true story of an AMU professor, who was suspended after being unlawfully filmed as being a homosexual. He was treated unfairly by the University and society. He fights for himself and wins but is found dead before he can take up his job at the University again. In the movie, this is shown through the eyes of a journalist who wants to bring justice to him and becomes his friend as he interacts with him.

The handling of the movie has been done in a very sensitive and slow manner, uncovering the truth layer by layer, uncovering the professor layer by layer. The truth about what happened to him has its own linkages to University politics. This is the basis of the movie’s story. But what is more impressive is the portrayal of the professor himself.

The character of the professor has been so perfectly crafted, and so slowly unravelled, its brilliant. He is not a hero, he is a simple man with his own simple likes and ideas, faults and prejudices. He loves Late Mangeshkar and whisky. He loves his poetry and it is given an important place in the narrative. As he opens up to his journalist friend, he uses poetry to bring out his feelings through his words. As he tries to be himself and share his feelings with someone for the first time, it also slowly brings out all his loneliness of having to live his life alone, hiding parts of himself.

Manoj Vajpayee plays this role with his whole soul, he is totally in it. His eyes, his body language, all of it brings out these feelings of helplessness and loneliness so gracefully, its brilliant. And he does this with few words, but with silences, slowness and simplicity. There is no hurry in the pace of the movie, it takes it time to tell its story. But inspite of the pace, you are riveted to your seats, you want to know more about what happened and why. You really have to watch the movie to understand what I mean.

I think what I loved about the movie was there was no drama to show the sadness. There is no crying and long sentimental dialogues. Its all portrayed in a very matter of fact way which gets to you more than if there was too much of the melodrama. Thats why it stays with you more, because its so simple and real.

Watch this movie, definitely the upper end of Indian cinema. Would go for 4.5 stars for this.