Rebel With A Cause

With Article 15, Anubhav Sinha has taken on the caste system. Raghuvendra Singh meets the filmmaker, who doesn’t believe in sitting on the fence

- Raghuvendra Singh

It took almost two decades and two films for filmmaker Anubhav Sinha to find himself. He debuted with the hit lyrical romance Tum Bin (2001) and lost himself in the labyrinth of commercial cinema, churning out middling fares like Tathastu and Cash. Sanjay Dutt’s Dus and later Shah Rukh Khan’s Ra. One pushed him into the top guild, a world he viewed with awe. But it was the failure of Tum Bin 2 that urged him to reflect on the dissonance between his art and heart.

For Anubhav, well-conversant with Uttar Pradesh, Mulk was a lament on the fading Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb and the persecution of minorities. He’s now upped his sociopolitical crusade with Article 15. It spotlights that article of the Constitution, which prohibits discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste... Anubhav hopes that the audience leaves the theatres rattled with questions that make them feel culpable about their complicity in stoking prejudice and oppression down the ages… With

What made you chose Ayushmann Khurrana for IPS officer Ayan Ranjan’s role in Article 15?

I wanted a common man, someone people could relate to. Before the movie started, I couldn’t spend much time with Ayushmann because his wife (Tahira Kashyap) was unwell. He also had two movies releasing (Badhaai Ho and AndhaDhun). After such massive success, it’s easy for an actor to develop an unjustified sense of authority. Thankfully, Ayushmann surrendered himself to the director’s vision. He’s done a remarkable job.

Why did it take you so long to make socially compelling films like Mulk and Article 15?