Director: Aditya Suhas Jambhale
Cast: Yami Gautam, Priya Mani, Arun Govil, Vaibhav Tatwawadi and others
Where: In theatres near you
Rating: 3 stars
Filmmaker Aditya Suhas Jambhale has made an important film which might certainly be projected as a propaganda film, especially because of its release right before the elections. And while the entire nation awaits the predictable outcome, Article 370 hammers it rightly at the right time.
Zooni (Yami Gautam), a security office stationed in Srinagar is grieved by her father’s mysterious death since childhood. Amid the ongoing tensions in the valley, she kills the Islamic activist Burhan that lights the flame ever more around.
Her attempts of finding the truth behind her father’s death seem to get accomplished after she gets appointed to lead an NIA team by PMO member Rajeshwari Swaminathan (Priya Mani). Her subordinate Yash Chauhan (Vaibhav Tatwawadi) joins hands with her on the mission. Will Zooni succeed in pulling off a life threatening mission?
Divided in to six chapters — The lover boy of Tral, A knock on the door, Blindspot, Sub Clause (d) and Was, Is and Will Always Be, Aditya clearly has the vision to tell a factual story but in a very textbook manner. The first half of the film is way too long, slow and technical. However, the second half is pacy, whistle-worthy and properly documented.
Filmmaker Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri, who has tried his hands on making films about suppressed issues in the past has a knack of narrating a story in a thrilling way unlike Aditya, who has definitely made a decent film but it isn’t palatable to the mass audience.
Away from picking political sides or even having his own ideology in place, Aditya sheds light on what had actually happened and that’s like cherry on top. Article 370 might not have an agenda in totality as a film but Opposition parties and so-called leftists might spark a conversation on social media and political toxicity isn’t for everyone.
Yami is solid as Zooni, she looks good with firing guns and breaking bones. Vaibhav is pleasing and Priya Mani is comforting to eyes. She carries such a pivotal role with so much ease. Arun Govil and Kiran Karmarkar, who play the role of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah respectively, are good and not caricatured.
Article 370 is an absolutely essential film but if you are expecting a thrilling take on Kashmir and its infamous history, then you might be a tad bit disappointed.
