ARTICLE 370 is a gripping tale – MASHAHER

Article 370 Review {3.5/5} & Review Rating

Director: Aditya Suhas Jambhale

Synopsis:
ARTICLE 370 is the story of two women who changed history. On July 8, 2016, Zooni Haksar (Yami Gautam Dhar) of the Intelligence Division finds out crucial information that a dreaded terrorist, Burhan (Shivam Khajuria), is hiding in Kokernag, Kashmir. She asks her senior, Khawar Ali (Raj Arjun), for permission but he instructs her to wait. Zooni chooses not to and executes the operation with the help of CRPF officer Yash Chauhan (Vaibhav Tatwawadi) and his team. Burhan is killed and it angers a section of political leaders. They provoke the youth, leading to violence in the Valley. The Intelligence Division suspends Zooni for not following orders. She is shifted to Delhi where she goes into depression. A year later, Rajeshwari Swaminathan (Priya Mani), of the PMO, approaches Zooni and invites her to lead a team in the National Investigative Agency (NIA) in Srinagar. Zooni accepts the offer though she makes it clear that all their efforts would not lead to any concrete result as long as Article 370 exists. The Union Government soon breaks the alliance with Parveena Andrabi (Divya Seth Shah) in Kashmir. They also impose President’s Rule, thus ensuring that leaders of different political parties don’t unite to form a coalition. Rajeshwari soon confesses to Zooni that the Centre plans to revoke Article 370. But they need to find a way to do so legally and at the same time, ensure that Peace is not disturbed in the Valley. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

Article 370 Movie Story Review:
Aditya Dhar and Monal Thaakar’s story, inspired by true events, is exciting. Everyone is aware that Article 370 was abrogated but no one knows how it was carried out. Aditya Dhar, Aditya Suhas Jambhale, Arjun Dhawan and Monal Thaakar’s screenplay (additional screenplay by Aarsh Vora) is gripping. The writing becomes a bit technical in places but the writers compensate for it with some entertaining and thrilling moments. Aditya Dhar, Aditya Suhas Jambhale, Arjun Dhawan and Monal Thaakar’s dialogues are powerful and clapworthy.

Aditya Suhas Jambhale’s direction is captivating. The film is 160 minutes long but doesn’t get boring or lengthy as a lot is happening every minute. The makers adopt a no-nonsense and realistic approach and it gives the film a nice touch. The first half doesn’t pack a punch, as intended, but post-interval, the film gets much better. The scene where Zooni interrogates Yakub Shaikh (Sumit Kaul) will be loved by the masses. The episode on how a crucial piece of information was deleted from a legal document is quite a shocker. Two tracks run simultaneously in the climax and both are entertaining and captivating.

On the flipside, though the makers have tried their best to simplify the narrative, a few details might be difficult to decipher. Hence, those expecting it to be a conventional entertainer might be a bit disappointed. Secondly, in places, the film gives a feeling of being one-sided and not covering all elements of the story. For instance, Article 370 was revoked for the betterment of the people of Kashmir. However, the aam junta and their hardships are never focused in the film, except for the scene of a sarpanch (Middat Ullah Khan). Lastly, the assassination attempt in the climax is nail-biting but it also raises the question of whether it actually happened in real.

Article 370 | Official Trailer | Yami Gautam Dhar, Priyamani | Jio Studios | B62 Studios

Article 370 Movie Performances: 
Yami Gautam Dhar yet again delivers a power-packed performance. In fact, this is her most accomplished performance. She is quite convincing in the action and interrogating scenes but watch out for her in the emotional scenes. The manner in which she delivers the monologue in the first half gives goosebumps. Priya Mani keeps her act restrained, as per the character requirement and is apt for the part. Vaibhav Tatwawadi is quite likeable. Raj Arjun and Skand Thakur (Wasim Abbasi) lend able support. Sumit Kaul, Salahuddin Jalal (Raj Zutshi) and Rajiv Kumar (Shamsher Abdali) leave a huge mark. Divya Seth Shah and Irawati Harshe Mayadev (Brinda Kaul) are decent. Kiran Karmarkar (Home Minister) is superb and takes the entertainment quotient of the film many notches higher. Asit Redij (Opposition leader Rohit Thapar), too, puts his best foot forward. Arun Govil (Prime Minister) is okay and it seemed like he was trying too hard. Janya Khandpur (Sabia), Middat Ullah Khan, Mohan Agashe (Jagmohan Patil) and Ashwini Koul (Zakir Naikoo) are fair.

Article 370 Movie Music and other technical aspects:
Shashwat Sachdev’s music doesn’t register. Ideally, ARTICLE 370 should have been a song-less film. But Shashwat Sachdev’s background score is kickass and very different from the usual BGMs.

Siddharth Vasani’s cinematography is breathtaking and uncomplicated in action scenes. Sujeet Subhash Sawant and Sriram Kanan Iyengar’s production design is rich. Veera Kapur Ee’s costumes are realistic yet stylish. Parvez Shaikh’s action is not gory at all. Identical Brains’s VFX is acceptable. Shivkumar V Panicker’s editing is smooth.

Article 370 Movie Conclusion:
On the whole, ARTICLE 370 is a gripping tale that attempts to depict an important chapter of India’s history in an entertaining and simple manner. At the box office, the topic of the film and the trailer has caught attention. Moreover, the film releases on a day when tickets are available for just Rs. 99. As a result, it can open strongly and emerge successful at the box office in the long run, provided it enjoys a good word of mouth.