Court Martial to Newton: Films that celebrate the essence of democracy
Article 15
Named after Article 15 of the Constitution of India, which prohibits discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or birthplace, this Anubhav Sinha directorial draws our attention to caste-based atrocities, especially against women in rural belts. The film stars Ayushmann Khurrana, Manoj Pahwa, Kumud Mishra, Isha Talwar and Sayani Gupta.
Court Martial
Playwright Swadesh Deepak's acclaimed 1991 play Court Martial was a precursor to films like A Few Good Men and Shaurya and explored the imbalance of power in the armed forces. Directed by Sourabh Shrivastava and Karwarkar Bhavika, the Zee Theatre teleplay stars Rajeev Khandelwal, Saksham Dayma and Swapnill Kotriwar.
Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai
Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai is inspired by the real-life struggles of an idealistic session court lawyer to secure justice for a minor. The courtroom drama stars Manoj Bajpayee, Adrija Sinha, Surya Mohan Kulshreshtha, Nikhil Pandey, Priyanka Setia, Jai Hind Kumar, Durga Sharma and Vipin Sharma.
Joram
This socio-political film discusses tribal land rights and the manner in which indigenous communities are losing their forests to development. Directed by Devashish Makhija, the film forces us to ask if marginalised Indians are ever treated like equal citizens of a democratic country. It stars Manoj Bajpayee, Tannishtha Chatterjee, and Smita Tambe.
Newton
Amit V. Masurkar's black comedy shows us how an upright government clerk oversees elections in a conflict-ridden Chhattisgarh belt despite acute apathy, corruption, interference from various sections and threats of violence. The film articulates that democracy is not just a word but a privilege we must protect individually and together. The film stars Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi, Anjali Patil and Raghubir Yadav.
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