His latest film Bheed is a direct, taut and stark depiction of migrant workers in India during the COVID-19 lockdown. It is a distempering mirror that shines the light on our social divide.
Article 15
Sinha’s latest film is a moody, good-looking and pointed statement on caste in India. It follows on from his last film Mulk, which tackled Islamaphobia.
Director Anubhav Sinha has a knack for combining elements of popular film-making with realistic story-telling. It’s easy to see this in Article 15, a crime thriller with a message.
The film is based on real-life events, such as the 2014 Badaun rape case in Uttar Pradesh. It follows the life of IPS officer Ayaan Ranjan (Ayushmann Khurrana) who is struggling to come to grips with the reality of caste discrimination.
Ayaan, who is partially educated abroad, is surrounded by a caste system he doesn’t understand. He’s a police officer and, therefore, a representative of the upper-caste Brahmin community, and he has to wade through a literal swamp when one gruesome rape case hits his desk.
Mulk
Mulk is a film that speaks to a dwindling spirit of fearlessness in Bollywood. It is a film that is not afraid to delve into tough, contentious subjects and make its point loud, rousing and in your face.
It is a film that is not afraid of making you cry and it uses these very powerful emotions to hammer down poisoned mindsets. It is a film that makes you think and it is a film that is very relevant in today’s times.
The film is based on the Covid lockdown and it shows the human side of the story that came under its grips. It showcases the plight of migrant workers who were caught up in this tragedy and they had to walk miles and days just to get back home.
Thappad
Anubhav Sinha's latest film, Thappad, is one of his best yet. It is a film that tackles the issue of domestic violence.
Amrita (Taapsee Pannu) is a Delhi homemaker who happily puts her aspirations on hold to care for her workaholic husband Vikram (Pavail Gulati) and diabetic mother-in-law. But then, she is slapped by Vikram at a party, and that changes her life.
It is her own inability to handle the humiliation that sets her off on a journey of self-examination and reconciliation. Her supportive well-wishers – her sensitive neighbour Dia Mirza, her brother's girlfriend Naila Grewal and her father Kumud Mishra - all counsel her to forget her embarrassment and move on with her life.
Anek
Anek is a geo-political thriller that tackles the ongoing political conflict in the Northeast region of India. It revolves around an undercover operative Joshua (Ayushmann Khurrana) who is tasked with creating a situation that will bring Tiger Sangha (Loitongbam Dorendra), the top rebel leader of the region, to the negotiation table.
As the story unfolds, it also explores the plight of migrant workers and their families. It is a timely film that addresses the growing class, power, caste, and religion-based discrimination in modern India.
Bheed
Anubhav Sinha is an Indian film director who works on difficult topics and delivers films that speak to audiences loud and vehemently. He's best known for movies like Tum Bin and Dus.
Bheed is a film that retells stories of people who struggled to get home during the Covid-19 lockdown in March 2020. It's a follow-up to his films Mulk and Article 15 in both thematic and creative terms.
In Bheed, Sinha tackles a thorny issue by juxtaposing references, scenes and imaginations to assemble a powerfully honest account of what happened when state borders were sealed. Taking a scalpel to India's class, caste and religious divides, it takes on an ingrained culture of discrimination.
