Suffering is one long moment, an elaborately choreographed time that can never be divided into seasons, falling chillingly between the fearsome and funeral, located on the cutting edge of despair, disillusionment and doom. Seldom in recent memory has any film attempted to unspool truth in such a cathartic manner as Hansal Mehta has in ‘Aligarh’. Seldom has soul-strip been exhibited with such telling, poignant restraint and innate humanism that unsettles the mind while touching the heart.
Inspired by the real life trial and tribulation of the late 64 year old Professor Saras who was suspended by Aligarh University for being a homosexual, the cinematic narrative goes well beyond the (usual?) sensationalistic representation of dramatised facts designed to be audience-friendly. It’s that rare biopic that is more realistically melancholy than maudlin, more starkly truthful than melodramatic. It depicts a tragic journey of a man fighting a lonely battle with a mafia of self-righteous, self-appointed, noisy Gullivers’ playing moral police, while underlining the issue decriminalising homosexuality – a personal, individual preference – and the right to live with appropriate dignity and grace.
Superbly cast, scripted, narrated and played out; special credit must firstly go to Manoj Bajpayee. His portrayal as the storm-centre and tragic hero is truly one of the most powerful performances in recent times, right up there with the best of the best. Nuanced, layered, subtle, understated, Bajpayee’s is a text-book model of the less is more school of acting … a heartbreakingly effective portrait in an industry high on nautanki and melodrama. His body language and use of pauses & specially silences that scream, is amazing. Watching him, you feel that at any moment he may do something totally unpredictable, even apocalyptic, disturbingly unnerving in its emotional nakedness. The passages of his sacred communion with Lata Mangeshkar’s haunting voice and Madan Mohan’s melodies take your breath away.
Providing magnificent counterpoint and support is Raj Kumar Rao, a brilliant young actor (‘Kai Po Che’, ‘Shahid’, ‘City Lights’) and an avowed Mehta favourite. He brings the story alive in no small measure with delightful vignettes colouring their charming interaction. The way he draws out the Professor’s warmth, the reserve, the wry humour and poetic sensibility is enchanting. The rest of the cast – Ashish Vidyarthi heading the list – is top class and a superb fit. Full marks too to Apurva Asrani for his insightful and sensitive writing and finally… Hansal Mehta, take a bow! Your brand of cinema continues to take us through the by-lanes of mankind’s luminous ghettos, offering heart-stopping glimpses of time-suspending truth. By turns, engaging, enriching and empowering, ‘Aligarh’ is the latest salvo fired in the form of outstanding, courageous cinema which, along the likes of ‘Masaan’, ‘Titli’, ‘Manjhi’, ‘Talvar’, ‘Neerja’ (among others) powerfully informs those who care to listen, those who have eyes to see, minds to think and hearts to feel that, despite the rampage of the marauding merchants, the magicians still have a place; that despite the monster seductive powers of mammon, the muse still lives and come what may, Picture (of this deathless kind) abhi bhi baaki hai, mere dost!
God bless Hansal Mehta and gang. Keep rocking … your time will come because the Angels are on your side.
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