Aligarh
2015 · India · 114 min
- Director
- Hansal Mehta
- Screenplay
- Apurva Asrani
- Production company
- Eros International
What the critics say
100 % Rotten Tomatoes positive reviewsCast
What it is about
In 2010, Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras, a Marathi professor at Aligarh Muslim University, is secretly filmed by two television journalists while in a consensual relationship with another man. The footage leads to his suspension and sustained pressure from the media and the institution. Delhi journalist Deepak Sebastian travels to Aligarh to investigate and begins to doubt the official account, while Siras faces a legal battle against the university.
How it was made
Hansal Mehta developed the project from an idea sent to him by email in 2010, and Apurva Asrani wrote the screenplay, his first feature film writing assignment. Mehta initially considered Govinda for the role of Siras. Because the team could not shoot on the Aligarh campus amid opposition from local far-right groups, much of the film was shot at Bareilly College, which has a similar architectural style.
Reception and legacy
The film premiered at the Busan International Film Festival and earned excellent reviews, with praise from the British Film Institute and several Indian critics. Manoj Bajpayee won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor. Despite this acclaim, its box-office takings were modest.
Stills
Trivia
Govinda as first choice
Mehta considered Govinda for the role of Siras before Manoj Bajpayee was cast.
A stand-in campus
Because filming at the real university was not possible, the crew used Bareilly College, which has similar architecture.
More films by Hansal Mehta
Shahid
Chhalaang
CityLights
Woodstock Villa
OmertaOriginal Cinematopedia text based on Wikipedia (en) and Wikidata.