Article 370 (film)

Article 370 is a 2024 Indian Hindi-language political action thriller film directed by Aditya Suhas Jambhale, who co-wrote the film with Aditya Dhar, Aditya Suhas Jambhale, Monal Thaakar and Arjun Dhawan. Produced by Jyoti Deshpande, Aditya Dhar, and Lokesh Dhar, the film stars Yami Gautam Dhar and Priyamani, alongside Skand Thakur, Ashwini Kaul, Vaibhav Tatwawadi, Arun Govil, and Kiran Karmarkar. The film was released worldwide on 23 February 2024.

The critics praised the performance of Yami Gautam Dhar.

Premise
The film is set against the backdrop of the revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, (popularly referred the "abrogation of "Article 370") that was carried out in 2019 at the beginning of Narendra Modi government's second term in office.

Cast

 * Yami Gautam Dhar as NIA agent Zooni Haksar
 * Priyamani as PMO Joint Secretary Rajeshwari Swaminathan
 * Raj Arjun as ID Station Chief of Srinagar, Khawar Ali
 * Shivam Khajuria as Burhan Wani
 * Vaibhav Tatwawadi as Deputy Commandant CRPF Yash Chauhan
 * Arun Govil as the Prime Minister of India (based on Narendra Modi)
 * Raj Zutshi as Former Chief Minister of J&K Salahuddin Jalal (based on Omar Abdullah)
 * Divya Seth as Chief Minister of J&K Parveena Andrabi (based on Mehbooba Mufti)
 * Kiran Karmarkar as the Home Minister of India (based on Amit Shah)
 * Sumit Kaul as Yakub Shaikh (based on Yasin Malik)
 * Iravati Harshe as Brinda Kaul (based on Nidhi Razdan)
 * Mohan Agashe as Former J&K Governor Jagmohan Patil (based on Jagmohan)
 * Skand Sanjeev Thakur as Wasim Abbasi
 * Ashwini Kaul as Zakir Naikoo (based on Riyaz Naikoo)
 * Ashwini Kumar as Ashish Mattoo
 * Asit Redij as Rohit Thappar (based on Gulam Nabi Azad)
 * Jaya Virlley as Pranjali
 * Sanya Sagar as Namita Chaturvedi
 * Rajiv Kumar as Shamsher Abdali
 * Mithil Shah as Siddharth
 * B. Shantanu as the Vice President of India (based on Venkaiah Naidu)
 * Ajay Shankar as Gaurang Sengupta
 * Toshir Nalwat as Pa Mohsin
 * Sukhita Aiyar as Anuradha Pattnaik
 * Sandeep Chatterjee as ISI Chief

Soundtrack
The music of the film is composed by Shashwat Sachdev while lyrics are written by Osho Jain, Sudhanshu Saria, Kumaar and Sachdev.

Theatrical
The film was released worldwide on 23 February 2024. On March 2024, the film was declared tax free in Madhya Pradesh.

Home media
The film was premiered on Netflix from 19 April 2024.

Critical reception
Devesh Sharma of Filmfare gave 3.5 out of 5 stars and stated that "the film is a cracker of an action film and if one doesn't dwell on its political stance much, can be thoroughly enjoyed as an action thriller." Abhishek Srivastava of The Times of India also rated 3.5 out of 5 stars and stated that "Article 370 remains engaging for the most part" and that the film "proves to be a worthwhile watch, offering enough substance to keep viewers engaged and invested". Monika Rawal Kukreja of Hindustan Times wrote that "Article 370 underlines one of the most crucial chapters in our nation's history. With an impressive writing, simple narrative and outstanding direction, it effortlessly manages to send across the message it intends to".

Mukund Setlur, writing for the Deccan Herald gave a rating of 2.5/5 and added that "While elements of drama and action are aplenty, the film lacks the intelligence and the genuineness needed to sustain a conversation." The Koimoi gave it a rating of 1.5 out of 5 and noted that the movie aims to promote propaganda by terming itself as fiction but the characters of the movie depicting the Prime minister and the Home minister entirely resembles the current PM Narendra Modi and HM Amit Shah.



Calling it a "hard-hitting political drama", Titas Chowdhury of CNN-News18 rated 3.5 out of 5 stars, and stated that "the makers waste no time and dive into the crux of the story in the first half and it makes for a fast-paced experience till the point of intermission. It's the second half of the film that appears stretched out". Lachmi Deb Roy of Firstpost awarded 3 out of 5, calling it a "compelling narrative that informs and engages without making it look like a history and civics lesson. Article 370 is a true story of Kashmir's tortured history that had to be corrected and the maker of the film did complete justice to it!". Asmita Pant of CNBC TV18 wrote that "the film offers a grounded perspective on the Kashmir issue. It delves deep into emotions but never interrupts the story's flow", and that "the filmmakers have eschewed sensationalism for a factually accurate narrative infused with cinematic flair".

Sana Farzeen of India Today rated 3 out of 5 stars and added that "Article 370 is a well-made film but will test your patience with its run-time of 2 hours and 40 minutes", also noted that the film is "tuned to the propaganda value" for the ruling government. Shalini Langer of The Indian Express rated 2.5/5 and added that the film "serves its politics unabashedly as it mixes facts with fiction".

Critic from Bollywood Hungama gave 3.5 out of 5 stars and called it "a gripping tale that attempts to depict an important chapter of India’s history in an entertaining and simple manner." Rohit Bhatnagar of The Free Press Journal rated 3 in a scale of 5, stating that "Yami Gautam’s film voices truth but in a textbook manner ... Away from the picking political sides or even having his own ideology in place, Aditya sheds light on what had happened and that’s like cherry on top". Abhimanyu Mathur of Daily News and Analysis awarded 3.5 out of 5 stars, and said that "it is a technically well-made film, packed with great performances, seamless direction, and a solid background score"; it "excels when it is being a thriller", however, "the film falters when it tries to get political. Because at this point, it resorts to boring tropes, caricatures, and over-the-top acting".

Factual accuracy and political messaging
The film is focused on Article 370 of the Constitution of India which granted special autonomous status to the region of Jammu and Kashmir. However, the critics have described the movie as "factually incorrect" and a “distortion” of facts.

Indian PM Narendra Modi had endorsed the movie and claimed it to be a source of "correct information", however, producer Aditya Dhar clarified that the movie is not a factual account but a work of fiction inspired by the actual events. The movie is seen by some as a "thinly veiled propaganda film" that favours India's ruling Bharatiya Janta Party in order to bring political mileage for it during the upcoming 2024 Indian general elections. The movie was made tax-free in two of the BJP governed states, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. The film screening in different states was attended by the BJP leaders and in some instances they campaigned for the movie and the elections.

The film has been noted for having numerous factual inaccuracies, and one-sided narrative. It depicts the first Indian PM Jawaharlal Nehru to have delayed the accession of the Jammu and Kashmir princely state until Sheikh Abdullah was allowed power. This is contrary to the fact that Kashmir ruler Hari Singh had aligned himself with the Indian government only after his kingdom was attacked by the Pakistanis. At the same time, the film is silent on the BJP's coalition government with the Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party. The film normalises custodial beating and torture by presenting it as a necessary act against those who are "deserving it". It further shows contempt to the institutions of democracy including the opposition and the journalists.

Box office
As of 11 April 2024, Article 370 has grossed inr 980600000 in India, with a further inr 125100000 in overseas, for a worldwide total of inr 1105700000.