Aligarh is a biographical drama film based on the life of Indian linguist and author Dr. Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras, who was suspended from his job because of his sexual orientation. Siras was the professor of Marathi at theAligarh Muslim University. After successfully appealing his suspension, he died in suspicious circumstances. Manoj Bajpai plays the role of Siras, and Rajkummar Rao plays a journalist. Shooting was held in Bareilly, Agra Uttar Pradesh. The film is slated for its world wide theatrical release on 26 February 2016.
Aligarh had its world premiere at the 20th Busan International Film Festival in South Korea on 4 October 2015. The film was received with a standing ovation. Aligarh had its European premiere at the 59th BFI London Film Festival on 10 October 2015. The response was generally superlative and the film garnered excellent reviews. Screen International in its review called it “A subtle, sensitive take on a controversial real-life court case involving the victimization of a gay college professor, Aligarh underscores the growing strength and diversity of Indian independent cinema”.
The British Film Institute, in its ‘Whats On’ review of Aligarh called it ‘Probably the best film yet on the Indian gay male experience, Hansal Mehta directs a riveting and nuanced tale that is as touching as it is powerful. Noted British film critic Rich Cline awarded it four stars and said “The film has striking layers of global resonance. And it’s written, directed and acted with remarkable sensitivity and insight”
