Article 370 Review : Engaging story, Interesting Facts & Impressive Yami 

Article 370 ( Political Thriller / 2024/ Cinema Release)

Writers – Aditya Suhas Jamhale, Aditya Dhar,Arjun Dhawan

Director – Aditya Suhas Jangle

Cast – Yami Gautam, Priyamani, Raj Arun, Kiran Karmakar, Arun Govil

“Gar firdaus, bar ruhe zamin ast, hamin asto, hamin asto, hamin ast.” “If there is paradise on this earth, it is here, it is here, it is here…” Spoken in awe by the great poet Amir Khusrau.

Kashmir, the crown of India,  has a special place in our hearts and hence the history and facts around Article 370 and its abrogation, the political and social scenario in Kashmir has always been a matter of intense intrigue and concern.

Article 370 explains the history and sequence of events in a simplified manner but with some dramatisation and thrills to make it more interesting . It focuses on a period of three years beginning July 2016 till Aug 2019 and traces the important events leading to the abrogation of Article 370 with the backdrop of the volatile socio-political atmosphere in the valley.

It opens with a prologue about how and why Article 370 came into being and then the story starts on a taut note with the agencies on the trail of Hizbul commander and terrorist Burhan Wani. The encounter sequence gives many a tense moments and racing heartbeats.

There on, we get a peep into the internal tussles between the agencies with respect to handling the terrorism issue and and the government ’s efforts to tackle them.The important stakeholders in Kashmir’s political scene have been given different names but we can clearly recognise the people behind the characters. 

The cinematic liberties stay mainly around action and the fictional character Zooni (Yami) which gives the film thriller like vibes at times.

It was interesting know the behind-the-scenes nuances of how the government was able to pull this off so smoothly. The story keeps us glued  and even though we all knew the outcome ,we waited with bated breath till the climax. When the bill of abrogation was passed, the applause and the cheers were tantamount to the fact that the film made us re-live the sense of triumph.

Performance wise , I would say that the film belongs to Yami. Her impassioned performance carries the film on her shoulders, her eyes spewing rage and anger. At times, her emotions seem so real that she hardly seems to act.

Priyamani ( Rajeshwari Swaminathan) gives a restrained performance and her calm portrayal adds heft to the proceedings. 

The support cast does well . A special mention for Kiran Karmakar playing Amit Shah. His Rajya Sabha address drew whistles. 

What I feel could have been better is the over dramatisation of certain events in the second half. Despite efforts, Zooni’s personal story fails to move. What left us in awe instead were the efforts put in by the agencies and the humongous coordination with which the government  achieved what was deemed impossible. 

The film is a must watch for those who feel that Kashmir was, is and will remain a part of India.