IANS Review: Karan Razdan’s ‘Hindutva Chapter 1’ explores identity of being a Hindu today

Film: Hindutva Chapter One – Main Hindu Hoon (playing in theatres) Director: Karan Razdan. Cast: Aashiesh Sharrma, Sonarika Bhadoria, Ankit Raj, Govind Namdev, Anup Jalota.

IANS Rating: 3.5 stars

Writer, producer, and director Karan Razdan’s film ‘Hindutva Chapter One – Main Hindu Hoon’ has been in the news for its title and theme. The film has been released in theatres this week. Ever since the trailer of the film and its strong title song came out and was well received by the audience, people were waiting for the picture, so when the film came out, the audience grabbed it.

The film presents the story of today’s youth. The film depicts the depth of Hindutva through the main characters and dialogues. If seen, it is based on the story of friendship, love, and student politics.

Bharat Shastri played by Aashiesh Sharrma, is the son of a Hindu priest who comes to prominence after his fierce speech in response to a protest orchestrated by the college student leader. Through its lead character Bharat Shastri, the film Hindutva tells the story of Bhaarat (India).

Aashiesh Sharma has been exemplary in his performance and has beautifully carried the film on his shoulders. Bharat Shastri’s character will receive a lot of love from the audience as he raises very sensitive but important questions with a tone that does make you think without being subjected to feeling opinionated. This is not an easy feat to achieve especially when the subject is so sensitive not just in India but throughout the world.

Ankit Raj plays the character of Sameer Siddiqui in the film. Sameer is a popular student leader who believes his community is discriminated against. He pretends to be a leftist, but he fights to protect his (Qaum) community. However, his parents are liberal Muslims. They love Bharat (Aashiesh Sharrma) like a son. Sameer is in love with Sapna (Sonarika Bhadoria) and Sapna is in love with his leadership at the university.

The story is kept interesting in such a way that Bharat and Sameer are childhood friends. But now they are divided due to their respective ideologies and this becomes the reason for their mammoth conflict.

Meanwhile, Bhalerao (Govind Namdev) persuades Bharat to contest the university elections against Sameer Siddiqui.

After this, the game of turns and twists begins. Sapna turns sides and Sameer becomes a loser in love. Sapna comes closer to Bharat but Bharat struggles to prove to the world what is the true meaning of Hindutva, what is the history of Hindutva. Hindutva has taught us how to approach science through meditation. The film delves into the meaning of Hindutva.

As far as the acting is concerned, Aashiesh has been flawless in his performance and embodies the true essence of Hindutva. He has been able to keep the audience gripped throughout the film. It is a treat to watch Aashiesh Sharrma in his element and has lived the character of Bharat with a vigour that is worth watching.

Ankit Raj has done full justice to his character and has given life to the role of Sameer Siddiqui in his debut film. The confrontation of both the characters and the dialogue between them builds a strong narrative for the film.

Nowadays, everyone waits for the monologue of the main character in many Bollywood movies and this time Aashiesh Sharma has delivered it perfectly. The audience is surprised when he speaks a long monologue about the definition of Hindutva, and its history. This dialogue gives the audience goosebumps. This scene is portrayed perfectly by Aashiesh Sharma with his amazing dialogue delivery.

Sonarika Bhadoria has also left her mark on the character of Sapna. Sapna has an attitude and she has adopted this approach very well. She looks very beautiful and attractive on screen. Anup Jalota has not only sung a bhajan in the film but he is also seen acting.

Produced under the banners of JAIKARA Films and Pragun Bharat, this film is well-written and directed by Karan Razdan. He has made a better cinema by doing a lot of research on a sensitive subject. He has also drawn strong performances from all the actors. The music of the film is its plus point.

The movie Hindutva is worth watching because of its theme, presentation, some amazing dialogues, and wonderful performances by the actors. The film is produced by Sachin Choudhary and Karan Razdan.

–IANS