Why Article 15 is not your usual Ayushmann Khurrana film

With time, Bollywood has mastered the art of delivering socially relevant messages to the audience with a dose of entertainment. With a record of films like Vicky Donor, Dum Laga Ke Haisha, Shubh Mangal Saavdhan and Badhaai Ho, Ayushmann Khurrana has ruled this game for several years now.

Ayushmann's previous films dealt with serious, socially relevant topics but they were crafted in a way that had the audience in splits. The method helped Ayushmann stand out from his contemporaries and gain a strong fan following. These films helped catapult him to the solid people's actor that he is today.

After a series of films with a similar packaging, with Article 15, Ayushmann is choosing to break out of the mould. The actor plays the role of a serious cop in Article 15, shedding his earlier, fun boy-next-door image.

In an interview with DNA earlier, the actor voiced the same sentiment. He said, "I think it's just this other side of mine. I have done theatre for five-six years and in most of my plays, I have played characters that were intense or aggressive. That side of mine had not been explored in cinema."

He added, "This film gave me the opportunity to showcase that side of mine. But, I feel there is still a long way to go and I'm in no hurry to change my character in every film. I think you need to establish yourself in a particular genre to break out of that and then, the audience gets shocked or surprised."

With Article 15, Ayushmann is trying to do just that: surprise the audience.

WHAT IS ARTICLE 15?

Article 15 of the Indian Constitution prohibits discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth.

In the film Article 15, Ayushmann plays a determined cop who strives for justice for two Dalit women who were gangraped and murdered by men of higher caste. The film draws inspiration from several true events including the 2014 Badaun gangrape and murder.

Let alone the film, the trailer of Article 15 in itself is chilling. It will force you to sit back and take a moment to soak it all in, something that you don't quite expect from an Ayushmann Khurrana film. People throng to theatres to watch Khurrana make them laugh while giving them a few strokes of honest emotions in between. But Article 15 is serious business.

If the trailer of Article 15 is anything to go by, Ayushmann, along with director Anubhav Sinha, aren't going to sugarcoat the seriousness of the issue by introducing humour in the film, the way we have seen Khurrana in his previous films. The film is an attempt at laying bare the ugliness, unfiltered, of caste discrimination that exists in our country.

Watch the trailer of Article 15 here:

In today's time, when the country is seeing a rise in violence against Dalits and Muslims, the film holds a huge relevance and Ayushmann is both right and brave to pick up such a relevant role. The film will help him leave an impact and get a strong grip on the serious drama genre as well.

Ayushmann's approach towards his films has been simple - don't let a particular image get attached to yourself. He isn't the typical body-building, bone-breaking hero of Bollywood; he is more like water that takes the shape of his characters effortlessly. And Article 15 is no different.

"Hero nahi chahiye Ayan, bas aise log chahiye jo hero ka wait nahi kare."

There is no one more perfect to fit these words than Ayushmann Khurrana himself.

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