’Aligarh’, directed by Hansal Mehta, is based on the true story of Dr Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras, who was suspended from his job as a Marathi professor at Aligarh Muslim University after he was publicly exposed for being a homosexual. Two men barged into his home with cameras, filmed him in bed with his male lover, and the story was leaked to newspapers. Weeks later after his suspension was revoked following a court battle, Siras was found dead under mysterious circumstances.
The incident occurred six years ago, in 2010, but the film’s themes – the violation of one’s privacy, imposing one’s morality on others, intolerance, and society’s tendency to persecute the already marginalized – are as relevant today as ever.
Aligarh arrives at a crucial time when the conversation around Article 377 has gained momentum in the mainstream, and the contentious issue of criminalization of homosexuality is being vociferously debated at the highest levels. Yet the film itself is about more than just the ’gay issue’. Mehta and writer Apurva Asrani offer a thoughtful exploration of what it means to be lonely and ageing, and an outsider for more reasons than one.