Date of Publication :3rd July 2024

Abstract: Article 15, directed and produced by Anubhav Sinha, is a hard-hitting film that attempts, and to some extent succeeds, to depict the ramifications of the pernicious caste system in India. What makes this film special is the fact that it is a rare attempt by mainstream Hindi cinema to address the caste issue, an issue typically reserved for independent or art houses films. Article 15 follows the journey of a freshly-minted upper caste IPS officer who investigates the disappearance of three Dalit girls from a small village. In the process, he unveils the violent history of caste-based oppression. This paper aims to analyse whether the upper caste hero is an ally to the cruelly marginalised Dalits or if he serves as an on-screen manifestation of the Savarna saviour complex. With the help of the newly emerging Dalit literary theory, this paper will attempt to unpack the caste politics of this film and address some pertinent questions regarding the issue. Does Article 15 reinforce the fallacious idea that caste exists only in the villages? Do Dalits really need a Savarna saviour to rescue them from the clutches of caste discrimination? And more importantly, is the ‘hero’ actually trying to question and fight the system or is it a tale of Savarna man’s burden? Caste is an undeniable reality of India, and despite various laws and systems, it continues to haunt people from lower castes. This paper argues that Article 15, by relegating caste to a remote village, undermines the complexity and monstrosity of this system. By playing on the binaries of ‘good Savarna’ vs ‘bad Savarna’, the film posits Ayaan as the saviour of Dalits–a saviour who wants nothing to do with this system of discrimination. But the film fails to address the privilege of the upper caste hero. It ends up becoming a tale of a power struggle between the good Savarna and the bad Savarna, and the Dalits and their problems are sidelined. Instead of questioning the system of oppression, the film inevitably falls into the trap of endorsing the Savarna saviour as a solution to the problems faced by Dalits.

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