Section 375 Review And Analysis

Section 375 Review And Analysis

I was thoroughly interested in the 13th of September to witness what the Ajay Bahl directed film Section 375 had to offer to the sensitive subject it focused on. The film with stars extremely talented actors like Akshay Khanna, Richa Chadda, Rahul Bhat & Meera Chopra is presumably based on true ones but there hasn't been anything conclusive said about the case that it takes inspiration from. The film focuses on a junior costume assistant that accuses a film director of raping her. A Sessions Court convicted the director for 10 years of imprisonment due to the evidence presented but the conviction is a period to a higher court after which we see the face-off between the teacher and student, criminal lawyer Tarun Saluja played by Akshay Khanna and public prosecutor Hiral Mehta played by Richa Chadda respectively. Here Filmybit presents you with the good and bad aspects of the film so that you guys can decide whether the film is worth it or not.

 The Underwhelming Aspects

I was thoroughly impressed with this piece of work and the way it dealt with the case . Specifically with its presentation of the court proceedings. I will not disclose what I am talking about as it will ruin the film for you but it is regarding subtlety in communicating any message in films.  I'll give you two examples of this one international and the other from Bollywood. Leonardo DiCaprio's character from "Inception" dreaming in the final sequence as he reunites with his family the audience is to conclude as the tabletop spins in its last frame. Hrithik Roshan bound his love for his mother in "Agneepath" even after getting mocked and shouted at the dinner table is communicated through him frantically filling up his plate with food. Section 375 presents a huge revelation in the end which I believe could have been easily communicated just through body language in such a manner in which the audience has to decide what actually transpired. It leads to more debate in theories. Just like how a film like underdone left it for us to decide what might be the several possibilities. Here however the conclusion is just fed to us.

 The Performances

 I have to say that the casting for this film was perfect. I have always been a fan of Akshay Khanna despite his brief stint in films over several years. Khanna as a criminal lawyer Tarun Saluja might be perceived for some as a heartless individual but he according to me is the minority percentage of the population that can easily segregate between personal and professional and empathy and objectivity. As a lawyer, he is of the firm belief to find a way just to win specifically in context to the law. People might find characters like Saluja repulsive but the man is a no-nonsense professional irrespective of the stake of events in front of him. Khanna's diction, dialogue delivery, and body language are impeccable and we wish we consistently see him in films. Richa Chadaa as public prosecutor Hiral Mehta creates the perfect contrast in terms of character traits calm, empathetic and respectful. A lawyer who cares about her clients beyond just the case at hand. The dynamic of the teacher and student and their moral differences lead to a very compelling and engaging quote proceeding that we witness for two hours. Rahul Bhatt as the accused director and Meera Chopra as the junior assistant costume designer Anjali are simply brilliant. Shriswara as a director's wife her spirit deteriorating trying her level best to be by her husband's side and sandhya mridul as Tarun's wife wanting just her mind to be at peace and not be at loggerheads with the mentally draining cases.

Editing & Pace

What I love about this film is that there is no time for bullshit. The movie is just around two hours long and gets right into the meat of the matter. This film is a court drama with a lot of focus on specific laws in the Indian Constitution that need to be communicated to the Indian masses. If we look at a film like Jolly LLB 2 - it was specifically designed to be more than just a courtroom drama. It had Akshay Kumar dancing on Holi, a backstory, a deep dive into his family and all this leading up to the case at hand. Where the Jolly LLB series is still a better product than the court proceedings. We have seen in films especially in the 90s where "law ke Naam pe koi bhi judgment de dete the". This film concerning its pace and editing is far superior. It does not transition to unnecessary subplots such as red tape corruption or acts of violence outside the courtroom, it is dedicated to understanding what might transpire in a case such as this.

 Information & Writing 

Through this film, you will be presented both sides of the argument and the film is written so well that it may make you sway from side to side as the story is developing. The film will make you empathize with victims and the process they have to go through just to register a case. To constantly confess and explain in detail about the events that took place at the scene of the crime at the hospital to the police to the court to the higher courts. It makes you understand why the percentage of women reporting cases is so low. On the flip side, It will make you wonder about false accusations, ulterior motives and how several men may get falsely accused of this heinous act. The debate and the back and forth in the courtroom will also create an internal dialogue in your head about the conclusions that we come to from the limited information we possess through media sources. How the public is enthusiastic to jump to conclusions almost instantly with the limited knowledge they have about the individuals. The film will provide vital information on topics such as consent and permission and how despite these terms being straightforward can get murky in cases such as the one presented. The film presents some great dialogues as well. My favorite is the no-nonsense dialogue by Saluja upon feeling his juniors discomfort with his coldness in feelings for victims he says "justice is abstract law is a fact".

I want to conclude by saying that the creators have dealt with a very sensitive matter with a lot of genuine energy. It presents both sides of the argument so that the audiences can more or less come to conclusions as the hearings keep on getting close to the verdict. The performances are impeccable in the writing and editing is extremely well crafted. Brilliantly Akshay Khanna makes it clear to the audience, the law is an adversarial system you either win or lose. In the multiple decades of honestly some trash courtroom dramas and a handful of praiseworthy ones, this piece of work will be remembered as one of the most engaging and well-designed courtroom dramas.

In this post we reviewed and analysed the movie "Section 375". Write in the comment section what you feel about this movie.