Movies like Article 15 leave a mark on you. They change the way you think and see things. They have an impact on your mentality. Such movies are important for society as they contribute to shaping it. So, many times, filmmakers pick one social evil and frame a complete story around it. The genre doesn’t need to be always the same. Often comedies end up showing the biggest tragedies of society.
Not everyone likes watching movies like Article 15 because in some way they give a reality check. So, if you do, we have listed some movies like Article 15 that you should watch:
Movies like Article 15
Lakshmi (2014)
IMDb Rating: 8/10
Award: Mercedes Benz Audience Award for Best Film
Available on: YouTube
Lakshmi targets the social evil of human trafficking and child prostitution which are quite common in rural areas. It shows how society closes its curtains on such issues. The movie tells the tale of Lakshmi who is abducted from her village and sold to a politician. The politician first rapes her and then sends her to a brothel. She manages to run away to a police station but finds that the police too are involved in the whole syndicate. After much struggle, Lakshmi finally finds a lawyer who is ready to fight her case.
https://youtu.be/IeSbSGWJxEQ
Section 375 (2019)
IMDb Rating: 8.1/10
Award: None
Available on: Amazon Prime
Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code declares that rape is a crime. The movie shows that a film director rapes his costume designer. She gets him convicted but during the trials, the defense of the accused constantly claims their physical relation to be consensual. The case disputes the legal provisions of the penal code 375 that defines conditions under which a sexual offense can be defined as rape. If you check the surveys, rape is the fourth most common crime against women in India.
Philadelphia (1993)
IMDb Rating: 7.7/10
Award: Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
Available on: YouTube
Philadelphia is one of the first mainstream Hollywood movies that targeted issues like homophobia and HIV/AIDS. The movie shows how a senior associate of the largest law firm in Philadelphia hides his homosexuality and the fact that he suffers from AIDS. When he is suddenly dismissed, he hires a homophobic lawyer for a wrongful dismissal suit. He is then compelled to fight his case.
Mystic River (2003)
IMDb Rating: 7.9/10
Award: Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
Available on: Netflix
Mystic River targeted the sexual abuse of young boys. The movie shows how the act of sexual abuse shapes the lives of three friends. Where the victim is scarred for life, the others still manage to move on. Three friends, Jimmy, Dave, and Sean witnessed Dave getting kidnapped and sexually abused for four days until he managed to escape. They grow up and tread on different paths. After the death of Jimmy’s daughter, Katie, Sean, who becomes a police officer, investigates her murder which leads him to the crime that took place twenty-five years ago.
Masaan (2015)
IMDb Rating: 8.2/10
Award: Un Certain Regard Avenir Prize
Available on: Netflix
Masaan targets the stigma of pre-marital sexual intercourses and the restrictions of a casteist society through parallel plots. The first story is of Devi Pathak who is interrupted while having sex with her student in a hotel room. They are booked for ‘indecent behavior’ but lawfully it is the police who violate Article 21 i.e. Right to Privacy. The second story is of Deepak and Shaalu who belong from two different castes. They fight to stay together irrespective of their castes.
Paar (1984)
IMDb Rating: 7.5/10
Award: National Film Award for Best Feature Film
Available on: YouTube
Paar shows the exploitation faced by people in rural areas. The stagnant poverty pushes them to perform heinous acts whose guilt kills them every day. The movie shows how a laborer kills his landlord’s brother to show resistance. He then flees from the village along with his wife. After many efforts to find sustenance elsewhere, the two decide to return home. To earn the fare, they take the task of driving a herd of pigs through the river where they end up battling for life.
Aligarh (2015)
IMDb Rating: 7.8/10
Award: Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor
Available on: Amazon Prime
Aligarh has been a direct attack on the homophobia in India. The movie tells the story of a professor of Aligarh Muslim University who was a victim of a sting operation conducted on him where he was caught having sex with another man. He is fired and constantly humiliated for his sexual orientation. It is only when a journalist decides to help him, he gets justice.
Love Sonia (2018)
IMDb Rating: 7.4/10
Award: None
Available on: Hotstar
Love Sonia is another tale of the blatant social evil of human trafficking. The film is the harrowing account of two sisters robbed of their innocence when one is sold by her debt-ridden father, and the other follows after her in the hope of rescuing her but becomes trapped in the sex trade herself. While on the troublesome and challenging journey that takes us through the red-light areas of Mumbai, the latent innocence in the younger sister and the grit to rescue her sister and eventually herself stays intact.
Water (2005)
IMDb Rating: 7.7/10
Award: Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Available on: YouTube
Water targets child marriage and the state of widows in rural areas. The movie tells about an 8-year old widow who is forced to wear a white sari and follow the customs, whereas a teenage widow is forced into prostitution so that the ashram in which they reside can get some money.
https://youtu.be/qcCXshTP9FE
Fire (1996)
IMDb Rating: 7.2/10
Award: None
Available on: YouTube
Even though it is said that the movie was loosely based on Ismat Chughtai’s Lihaaf, Fire was one of the first films to address the issue of homosexuality. The movie tells the story of Nita and Radha who are married into the same house. Nita’s husband married her just because of family pressure and is involved with another girl. Whereas Radha’s husband has adapted celibacy. Shunned by their husbands, both Nita and Radha long for the touch and eventually find solace in each other. When they’re caught in action, the behavior is not only disapproved but Radha is left to burn when she accidentally catches fire.
12 Years A Slave (2013)
IMDb Rating: 8.1/10
Award: Academy Award for Best Picture
Available on: Netflix
We all know how prominent slavery was in the United States. 12 Years A Slave tells the story of a free African-American man who comes to Washington DC as he was promised a job. After reaching DC, he realizes that he was tricked into slavery. The movie shows a memoir of Soloman Northup’s struggle to be a free man again.
Hidden Figures (2016)
IMDb Rating: 7.8/10
Award: Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Available on: Hotstar
Although Hidden Figures is majorly a story about three mathematicians, it shows their encounter with racial as well as gender discrimination. These three African-American mathematicians worked at NASA and the movie clearly shows that even an esteemed organization like NASA wasn’t immune to racial as well as gender discrimination.
I feel nothing mobilizes the masses better than a movie. No matter if they’re against it or appreciating it, people are affected by the movies they watch. Movies like Article 15 make you think, ponder, and then change your mindset. You can also check out these movies based on true crimes.
