This is a must watch movie for all Indians. The narrative is about the abrogation of Article 370 with a brief on what Article 370 is, what it meant, why it remained effective for such a long time and finally the actions taken to abrogate the special status. The story is narrated from the perspective of two fictitious characters who lead the thought of removing the special status of J&K. The reasons narrated through a few episodic sub plots / scenes are the ones we have seen on the national news channels and can relate to the same.

Intelligence agent Zooni Haksar (Yami Gautam Dhar), stationed in Kashmir eliminates a militant named Burhan Wani but gets in trouble for not following the rules. She is transferred to Delhi, where she is engaged in tasks of lesser interest to her. She makes up her mind to give up the forces and take a job. In comes Rajeshwari Swaminathan (Priyamani), a bureaucrat in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in Delhi, who picks up Zooni to lead a mission for the National Intelligence Agency (NIA). Soon the two become a team and get into action to prepare for the decision on Article 370. They get full support from the Prime Minister (Arun Govil) and the Home Minister (Kiran Karmarkar).

Article 370 is like a lesson that mixes history, government studies, and law, but presented as an exciting heist story. Aditya Suhas Jambhale’s article 370 about the Union Government getting rid of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status involves secret plans, clever moves, and distractions. Zooni and Rajeshwari are much smarter than others. Zooni, not her police friends, deals with terrorists, and Rajeshwari, not the usual legal team, finds a way for the government to do what it wants in Parliament. Zooni and Rajeshwari with the support of the two most important personalities in the politcal corridors prepare to create history.

The story moves quickly, is exciting like a spy movie and keeps you guessing. There are several direct references to many historical aberrations, including the scrapping of a subsection of an important clause that grants special status to J&K. The film goes on to tell us some mishaps, errors and oversights. A very important aspect of ‘Article 370’ is its portrayal of the politicians and the intelligence agencies working together perfectly – maybe that’s the best way to run a country, between the Prime Minister’s Office and the NIA?

Priyamani plays her part of a high level bureaucrat in the PMO very convincingly. Yami Gautam Dhar as Zooni Haksar is intense and focused, with a sad past that makes her perfect for the job focused on her targets but doesn’t care much about rules.

Arun Govil, who continues to be known more as Lord Rama, plays PM Modi with ease. Giving him company is Kiran Karmakar as Amit Shah who gets transformed to look very close to the real.

All in all, watching Article 370 should be in top of your to-do list.

Movie: Article 370
Directed by: Aditya Suhas Jambhale
Cast: Yami Gautam, Priyamani, Arun Govil, Kiran Karmarkar, Vaibhav Tatwawadi, Raj Arjun, Raj Zutshi, Ashwini Kaul, Ashwini Kumar
Running time: 2hrs 38mins