Watch Aligarh

Aligarh is a thought-provoking and moving movie that tells the true story of a gay professor, Dr. S.R. Siras (Manoj Bajpayee), who is hounded out of his job and his home by the authorities after he is caught in a compromising video with another man. The film explores the themes of discrimination, intolerance, and prejudice that exist within society against those who are different.

The story begins by introducing us to Dr. Siras, a quiet and reserved professor of Marathi literature at Aligarh Muslim University in Uttar Pradesh, India. He leads a solitary life, spending his evenings drinking whisky and listening to soulful songs from the 80s. One night, a local TV news crew breaks into his house and films him having sex with a rickshaw puller. The clip is soon aired on local news channels, causing a media frenzy.

The university authorities, citing the archaic Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code which criminalizes homosexuality, suspend Dr. Siras from his job and evict him from his university quarters. He is left alone and isolated, with no one to turn to except a young journalist, Deepu Sebastian (Rajkummar Rao), who is determined to get to the bottom of the story.

Deepu is a young reporter from Delhi who has been assigned to cover the story of Dr. Siras for a national newspaper. When he meets Siras, he is struck by the professor's loneliness and despair. Deepu is constantly reminded of the societal discrimination that exists towards homosexuals and realizes that this story is not just about one man, but is symbolic of a much larger issue.

What sets Aligarh apart from other movies on homosexuality is the sensitivity and nuance with which it handles the subject matter. Unlike many other movies, Aligarh avoids caricature and melodrama in favor of realism and subtlety. The performances of Manoj Bajpayee and Rajkummar Rao are outstanding. Bajpayee in particular delivers a masterful performance as Dr. Siras, conveying the character's vulnerability, loneliness, and pain with great subtlety and understatement.

The movie raises several key themes and questions that are applicable not just to India, but to many parts of the world. It questions the societal stigmas and prejudices associated with homosexuality, and the toll that such discrimination takes on people who are considered different or outcasts by society. It also shines a light on the freedom of speech issues in India and how the media can often unfairly target individuals for their personal choices.

The cinematography and music in the movie are also remarkable. The soundtrack, composed by Karan Kulkarni, is a mix of old Hindi songs and new compositions, which serve to elevate the mood and sentiment of the movie. The cinematography, handled by Satya Rai Nagpaul, is simple and unobtrusive, yet it captures the essence of the story with remarkable authenticity.

In conclusion, Aligarh is a powerful and empathetic movie that raises important questions about the discrimination faced by homosexuals, and the societal prejudices that continue to divide and marginalize people. It is a movie that is deep, moving, and thought-provoking, and one that will stay with you long after the final credits have rolled.

Aligarh is a 2016 drama. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.8.