Review – Section 375

Film: Section 375
Director: Ajay Bahl
Cast: Akshaye Khanna, Richa Chadha, Meera Chopra and Rahul Bhat
Music: Clinton Cerejo
Cinematographer: Sudhir K Chaudhary
Rating: 4.5 stars

Make no mistake, this one’s a masterpiece! If you plan to watch just one Hindi film this entire year, let it be this one. For so compelling is the content of this film and the manner in which it has been told, that it would be a sin to miss it!

Director Ajay Bahl dares to call a spade a spade in Section 375. The film is a realistic, hard-hitting, truthful take on how society, and by that I mean the public, the media, the cops, the lawyers and the judiciary, react when an allegation of rape is made.

Excellent research, exact stats to debunk popular feminist narratives, fantastic narration and exceptional acting all go on to make Section 375 a gripping, intense, edge-of-the-seat thriller that is worth its weight in gold! Yes, I did say thriller. This one might be a court-room drama for the record but the manner in which the story is told and the courage with which the director brings out facts on an issue that most people in the media and the legal fraternity know but would shy away from stating for fear of earning the wrath of feminists makes it nothing less than a thriller.

To some, Section 375 will be a torch bearer. To some others, it will be a tool for introspection. But to most people, it will be an eye-opener. It will tell you why the laws are there in the first place and why a due process is necessary to establish guilt before condemning someone. More importantly, it will tell you the difference between keeping the law and upholding justice.

It will tell you why you need to hear both sides of a story before arriving at a decision and most importantly, why you need to hold on to your horses until then.

The story:
It all begins with Anjali Dangle (Meera Chopra) an assistant costume designer levelling an allegation of rape against popular director Rohan Khurana (Rahul Bhat).

The victim Anjali is subjected to a medical examination and then her statement is carefully recorded to take Rahul Bhat into custody.

In a matter of five hours, Rohan is arrested on a number of charges, including that of Section 375, which deals with rape.

There is public outrage! People start screaming for his blood. Not before long, the lower court sentences him to 10 years rigorous imprisonment.

Rohan decides to appeal against the order of the lower court in the high court.

The news brings a smile to the face of Public prosecutor Hiral Gandhi(Richa Chadda), a feminist, for it will be she who will be representing the prosecutrix.

She rubs her hands in glee for here is a juicy case that will give her an opportunity to rise in the legal profession and on the way, ruin a man’s life even as she gets justice for a woman. She couldn’t have asked for anything better.

Meanwhile, Rahul Bhat’s wife is stunned. The news of her husband having been arrested and sentenced in a rape case shocks her. She collects her wits and knocks on the door of Tarun Saluja (Akshaye Khanna) one of the most calm and informed lawyers, who has a profound understanding of not just the law but also of the dubious ways people employ to manipulate and exploit situations.

He says he needs to examine a few facts before deciding whether or not he will take up the case. He studies it and then, agrees to take it up. What he brings to light through his investigations and brilliant questioning is what the rest of the film is all about.

Why 375 is a masterpiece:

Section 375 scores on several fronts. The first is the amount of effort that has gone into presenting facts as they are.

The film is spot on when it comes to showcasing the manner in which a rape case is heard in the Indian judicial system.

First, it shows how just the testimony of the victim is enough to prosecute a suspect if it inspires the confidence of the court. So, without the woman being cross-questioned and the man being given an opportunity to tell his side of the story, he is sentenced to 10 years rigourous imprisonment.

The film neatly brings out how the law has been deliberately constructed in a such a way that it heavily favours the victim. As a result, it gives very little room for suspects in a rape case to prove their innocence.

Bear in mind that in the Indian legal system, in a rape case, the onus is on the defendent to prove that he is not guilty as opposed to the norm of the prosecution having to prove their charges in a regular case.

The film does not stop with just showing how biased the laws are. It shows the leniency with which the judiciary deals with women claiming to be rape victims and their lawyers while being harsh on suspects and the lawyers representing them. This is the best part about the film. While everybody knows that the laws are heavily in favour of rape victims, the manner in which the courts treat suspects is something that not many know of.

For instance, when the defence proves that the so-called victim had deliberately misled the court in her statement, the bench does not make too much of it. But when the defence lawyer plays a trick by claiming to have a videotape of the incident without actually having one to prove that the prosecutrix is lying, the court takes exception to the method he employs and promptly suspends his licence to practice law for a period of six months.

Next, the film also shows shows the kind of pressure that lawyers who defend rape suspects are subjected to outside court. From being harrassed by women’s rights groups that protest in front of courts to women in the family who put pressure on him to not take up the case to attacks on him in the media to the trolling on social media, everything is neatly shown.

Coming to actors, Actor Akshaye Khanna is just brilliant as defence lawyer Tarun Saluja. Composed and always calm, his deep understanding of the law, the judicial system, the people and society and his ability to pose probing questions that beautifully bring out the truth makes you want to stand up and cheer for him. Make no mistake, Akshaye Khanna will always be remembered for this outstanding role and his exceptional performance in it.

Richa Chaddha, Meera Chopra and Rahul Bhat also come up with commendable performances.

On the technical side, Clinton Cerejo’s background score is just mind-blowing! It actually accentuates the emotion on screen and intensifies the impact of the output. What a technician! Fantastic.

The same must be said of Sudhir K Chaudhary’s visuals. Shooting a film like 375 must have been an extremely challenging experience but Sudhir seems to have done an outstanding job! This is because some of the scenes are intimate but Sudhir has shot them in such a way that they don’t look obscene.

Director Ajay Bahl’s work is nothing less than a masterpiece — one that needs to be celebrated!

Section 375 Trailer – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLD2iNyt0W0