Anubhav
Sinha's
directorial
Article
15
was
a
landmark
film
in
the
Hindi
film
industry
as
it
became
the
first
mainstream
film
to
openly
address
the
issue
of
caste
system.
However,
Anubhav
admits
that
the
film
was
compromised
because
he
added
certain
elements
to
it
to
make
it
more
palatable
for
audiences.
During
a
discussion,
Anubhav
was
asked
about
the
'cheese'
he
adds
in
his
films
which
tackle
social
subjects.
The
director
replied,
"Cheese
is
a
very
thin
layer
of
certain
compromises
you
make
to
make
it
more
palatable,"
adding,
"I
wouldn't
make
Mulk
or
Article
15
if
it
did
not
penetrate
into
the
next
layer.
There's
no
point
in
Anupama
liking
Article
15
and
the
people
not
liking
it."
Giving
an
example
of
one
particular
scene
in
Article
15,
Anubhav
said,
"That
shot
of
the
upper
caste
hero,
walking
with
the
Dalit
girl
in
his
arms,
according
to
me,
was
a
compromise,
which
I
had
to
make.
Creating
a
hero
allowed
me
to
say
a
whole
lot
more
in
the
film."
Although
the
film
was
lauded
by
many
for
addressing
a
critical
issue
that
has
been
plaguing
the
country
for
millennia,
it
was
criticized
by
some
for
portraying
an
upper
caste
man
as
the
hero
who
saves
the
downtrodden.
Anubhav
agrees
with
his
critics
regarding
the
problematic
gaze
of
the
film,
but
says
he
pushed
it
as
far
as
he
could
by
not
making
the
lead
character
the
sole
hero,
and
had
him
surrounded
by
a
team
who
all
played
an
important
role
in
challenging
the
caste
setting
in
the
film.
But
they
were
able
to
reach
70-80
lakh
people
in
theatres
and
many
more
on
OTT
because
of
the
lead
character
and
his
role
in
the
film.
Article
15
starred
Ayushmann
Khurrana,
Manoj
Pahwa,
Sayani
Gupta
and
many
others.
Anubhav
is
gearing
up
for
his
next
release,
Thappad,
which
is
a
film
on
domestic
violence
starring
Taapsee
Pannu
in
the
lead.