There Is No Hero, No Villain: Article 370 Director On His 'Genre-Defining' Political Drama

Article 370 is all set to hit the big screen on February 23. The film is headlined by Yami Gautam and is based on the backdrop of the abrogation of Article 370 and the intricate socio-political landscape of Kashmir. Ahead of the film’s release, director Aditya Jambhale shed light on why the story needed to be told and what makes his film different from others on the subject. 

Article 370 Director says no other film has shown ‘socio-political fabric of Kashmir’ nin a way this film does 

In a groundbreaking statement, Director Aditya Jambhale has unveiled the distinctive features that set Article 370 apart from other films centred around Kashmir. Jambhale emphasized the film's commitment to exploring the multifaceted aspects of Kashmir, a land renowned for its scenic beauty yet ridden by conflict.

"Kashmir is a land of scenic beauty, that’s why it’s called Jannat. But at the same time, it is conflicted, which has ruined its image. In Article 370, we dealt with the principal epicenter of the problem. We tried to understand the reason why Kashmir is what it is today. How Article 370 played a role in this change, creating an eternal conflict-ridden situation in Kashmir. There is no hero, there is no villain. There’s a lot of politics and drama, and we’ve tried to go as deep as possible into the complex socio-political fabric of Kashmir, which I don’t think any film has done yet with as much authenticity," stated Director Aditya.

Nobody is aware of the backstory and that is the main drama that we are able to show in this film: Aditya Jambhale

Speaking of the abrogation and Article 370, the director said: “This mission was carried out in a secretive way and the most important goal of the mission was that there should be no bloodshed of the innocent and that’s what makes it a magnum opus operation." Jambhale then shared details about the research undertaken to ensure the film's authenticity. “We went through months of research. There is so much drama involved in this mission which started in 2014 and finally culminated in 2019. We had legal consultants on the set to help us with the protocols so we don’t digress from the real story.” 

The filmmaker said he would be happy to say as a director and screenplay writer of the film, that they were able to share 80 per cent of the information that is not available in the public domain. “Nobody is aware of the backstory and that is the main drama that we can show in this film.” Speaking of his vision for the film ‘Article 370’ he said: “My target as a filmmaker is that even a student in the 6th standard after watching the film should be able to tell how Article 370 was abrogated on 5th August 2019, and spark an interest." All the events in the film are very authentic and portrayed realistically, which was a goal we all had for the film and we were able to achieve it,” he concluded. Article 370 by Jio Studios and B62 Studios promises a captivating blend of adrenaline-pumping action and thought-provoking political drama.

(With inputs from IANS)