Date: July 1, 2024
“I always thought it [cinema] could be used to good purpose.”
~ The Mother, Agenda, 10: 270
In this series of jottings I will periodically share a few reflections or thoughts on some films which I feel serve an important purpose of making people aware of some of the uncomfortable truths concerning our collective identity, as a nation and as a people with shared history. My purpose is not to review the film but only to point out a few aspects which I found most intriguing in the film, with a special emphasis on how my understanding of Sri Aurobindo’s vision helped me assess the film’s purpose including its narrative and sub-text.
One such film in the recent times is Article 370. Let the official film reviewers worry about the partisan nature of the film’s narrative. Or the political timing of its release, just a few months before 2024 general elections in India. As a daughter of Mother India I enjoyed the film because it celebrates an important and decisive action taken toward strengthening the integrity and unity of the nation that is India by firmly and constitutionally integrating into her modern political body that which has always been an important part of her civilizational, cultural and spiritual body.
As a film too, Article 370 does a pretty good job by keeping the narrative focused and storytelling gripping. The two leading actresses have done impressive work. Yes, at times, there is a bit of overdramatic treatment (but then it is a commercial film after all), and at others, it feels a bit too simplified, especially when it comes to sketching some political characters.
But what I appreciate most about films like Article 370, or before this other films such as The Vaccine War, or The Kashmir Files, is the fact that through interesting and engaging narratives, they bring to light what so many Indians are otherwise too uninterested to care about. So many people are unaware of these important pieces of recent history and have been only fed on one-sided sensationalist headlines peddled by the agenda-driven media.
“When one has the true attitude, everything can be an occasion to learn.”
~ The Mother, CWM, 12: 242
Commercial films such as Article 370 not only serve an educational purpose, especially for those who don’t want to take the trouble to do a bit of reading on their own, but such films also help develop a collective national consciousness, which is a first step in going beyond the clan-based or regionally driven or even religion-based collective consciousness. We can’t hope for world unity if nations don’t find or preserve their unity. So such widening of identity consciousness serves an important purpose. And if cinema can be effectively used for this purpose, that’s wonderful.
Let me also add that on 6 August 2019, a day after Article 370 was abrogated, here in Pondicherry the spiritual flag of United India was hoisted on the building of Sri Aurobindo Ashram Library. Because the Mother had said very clearly that this flag will be hoisted every time India recovers a part of herself.
“United India has a special mission to fulfil in the world. Sri Aurobindo laid down his life for it and we are prepared to do the same.”
~ The Mother, CWM, 13: 354
Do watch the film, if you haven’t yet done so.
~ Beloo Mehra