Aligarh (2016)
Young men flirt with young girls in the open (and vice versa) but most people in an urban setting would not think much of it. But when two consenting men decide to show their passion for each other in the secluded privacy of their home, the public agrees that it is their God-sanctioned duty to shame the deviant couple! They insist that it is against the norm of Nature and would go to great lengths to correct this, even if to kill, in spite of God's plea for the conservation of all of His creations. They are not interested in scientific and medical explanations for their aberrance. They say "it is all crystal clear. He decreed, we follow. It is my duty to ensure that His law is carried out here on earth. Period."
This, is the essence, is the story of a Professor in India's third highest ranking University, Aligarh Muslim University in Uttar Pradesh. Professor Shrinivas R. Siras, a 62-year-old divorcee, six months from his retirement, heads the Department of Modern Indian Languages. He had been honoured for his works, in particular, a romantic poem on the moon at the national level.
The news of his consensual sex with a male rickshaw puller hit the headlines one day. His ungentlemanly conduct cost him his job, created a public uproar, media frenzy and student demonstration.
This film tells his story from the angle for an intern journalist, Deepu Sebastian (Rajkummar Rao). He builds a rapport with the professor (an excellent performance by Manoj Bajpayee) who has been suspended and is on the run from hostile homophobes in the university. Deepu discovers the incredibly lonely life that Siras leads, indulging himself in old songs, poetry, writing and teaching. His post comes with many jealous subordinates who are just out to discredit and disgrace him.
Siras sues the University for reinstatement. At that time, homosexuality was decriminalised by the Delhi High Court, and Siras got off the hook. Unfortunately soon after the verdict, he was found dead in mysterious circumstances. His case was closed by the police due to insufficient evidence.
This, is the essence, is the story of a Professor in India's third highest ranking University, Aligarh Muslim University in Uttar Pradesh. Professor Shrinivas R. Siras, a 62-year-old divorcee, six months from his retirement, heads the Department of Modern Indian Languages. He had been honoured for his works, in particular, a romantic poem on the moon at the national level.
The news of his consensual sex with a male rickshaw puller hit the headlines one day. His ungentlemanly conduct cost him his job, created a public uproar, media frenzy and student demonstration.
This film tells his story from the angle for an intern journalist, Deepu Sebastian (Rajkummar Rao). He builds a rapport with the professor (an excellent performance by Manoj Bajpayee) who has been suspended and is on the run from hostile homophobes in the university. Deepu discovers the incredibly lonely life that Siras leads, indulging himself in old songs, poetry, writing and teaching. His post comes with many jealous subordinates who are just out to discredit and disgrace him.
Siras sues the University for reinstatement. At that time, homosexuality was decriminalised by the Delhi High Court, and Siras got off the hook. Unfortunately soon after the verdict, he was found dead in mysterious circumstances. His case was closed by the police due to insufficient evidence.
Aligarh University has an ancient history. It was set up in the late 19th century by a set of local visionaries who wanted Indians especially of Muslim descent, to seek knowledge to the edge of the world to meet modern-day demands. The idea came about when the founder visited Oxbridge.
The tradition of intellectual discourse goes back to the Golden Era of Islamic Civilisation when think-tanks of the day used their argumentative skills to impart their input to unravel the mystery of life and the universe. They were receptive to new knowledge. Unfortunately, over time, complacency had closed the mind to new critical thinking and clergymen are quite content solving modern day problems with medieval formulas. And it has proved disastrous, so far.
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