Rreview:
In movies, usually we see what we are shown through director’s eyes.
This statement is very simple and very true.
But, in few movies, director is able to depict what is happening or what has happened in actual, without forcing audience to see watch what they see.
Aligarh is such a movie, that it does not depict any subject, message or incident. But things are shown as we can depict the message by our own.
It does not argue any topic as such, but audience is left to take their own decisions and perceptions.
This is made possible by director with the help of smartly selecting its lead actors and yes, the cinematographer.
Manoj Vapjpayee has always been among my favourite character playing actor. After watching this masterpiece, it seemed that none another actor would fit in his shoes to play this character.
Most the scenes in the film are taken with still camera, which is smart trick of cinematography as to show the mood of the film, where you find things stuck in themselves.
Single long takes and still camera scenes, fill the life to reels.
Over that ability of Manoj Vajpayee to become the character itself is amazing. You don’t see Manoj Vajpayee at all on screen, but you see Mr. Siras in fact all the time. You see, Mr. Siras’s struggle, you hear unspoken words of his grief and sorrow.
You can see the turbulence going in his mind through his eyes.
The movie is a smart biopic without favouring any argument on homosexuality, and let me tell you, this is not a simple thing to achieve by a movie making team.
Some smart screenplays:
You see old aunty sitting at same place same chair throughout the movie.
Passion of Mr. Siras for Lata Mangeshkar songs is shown smartly by long takes of Lata’s audio songs on which Mr. Siras forgets all the world out beyond his closed door of room.
And in my personal opinion, the scene of Rajkumar showing intimate scene with his lady colleague is shown to indicate that Deepu is straight and not the gay, for which audience may think he is attached to MR. Siras and his case.
A must watch for getting experience of smart art of movie making.