Aligarh (film)
| Aligarh | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Hansal Mehta |
| Produced by | Sunil Lulla Shailesh R. Singh |
| Written by | Apurva Asrani |
| Screenplay by | Apurva Asrani |
| Story by | Apurva Asrani Ishani Banerjee |
| Starring |
Manoj Bajpayee Rajkummar Rao Ashish Vidyarthi |
| Music by | Karan Kulkarni |
| Cinematography | Satya Rai Nagpaul |
| Edited by | Apurva Asrani |
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Production
company |
Eros Entertainment
Karma Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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114 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
Aligarh is a 2016 Indian biographical drama film directed by Hansal Mehta and written by Apurva Asrani. It stars Manoj Bajpayee and Rajkummar Rao in the lead roles.
The film had its world premiere at the 20th Busan International Film Festival, receiving a standing ovation. The film was released worldwide on 26 February 2016 to unanimous critical acclaim. Bajpayee won huge critical acclaim and a Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras.
Set in the city of Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh and based on true events, the plot revolves around the esteemed and award winning professor Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras who taught Marathi at Aligarh Muslim University. He was sacked from his position of Reader and Chair of Modern Indian Languages, due to his sexual orientation.
The film was shot in various parts of Uttar Pradesh including Aligarh, Gorakhpur, Agra, Bareilly and Greater Noida (C-Block; Sector - Gamma 1). Wherein Greater Noida a small indoor sequence was shot for 3–4 days by Raj Kumar Rao.
Aligarh had its European première at the 59th BFI London Film Festival on 10 October 2015. The response was generally superlative and the film garnered excellent reviews. Screen International in its review called it a "A subtle, sensitive take on a controversial real-life court case involving the victimization of a gay college professor, Aligarh underscores the growing strength and diversity of Indian independent cinema".
The British Film Institute, in its 'Whats On' review of Aligarh called it "Probably the best film yet on the Indian gay male experience, Hansal Mehta directs a riveting and nuanced tale that is as touching as it is powerful."Aligarh had its India première in Mumbai at the 17th JioMAMI Mumbai Film Festival on 30 October 2015. It also has the honour of being the only Indian film to open the festival since its inception. The response was once again overwhelming. Meenakshi Shedde, South Asia Consultant to the Berlin Film Festival and award-winning critic, had this to say about in her Mid-Day review: "Aligarh is masterfully directed: it is that rare film that courageously stands for human rights, including those of homosexuals, yet offers a quiet, distilled perspective." Celebrated columnist Aseem Chhabra in his rediff.com review said "Aligarh is a very important film, a milestone in the history of Indian cinema that should start the much needed conversation about how India treats a visible and yet often ignored minority group."
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