Section 375

Section 375 (also known as Section 375: Marzi Ya Zabardasti)[4][5] is a 2019 Indian Hindi-language courtroom drama film produced by Kumar Mangat Pathak, Abhishek Pathak and SCIPL, written by Manish Gupta and directed by Ajay Bahl.[6][7] It is based on Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code laws in India.[8][9] [10][11] The film stars Akshaye Khanna, Richa Chadha, Meera Chopra and Rahul Bhat.[12] Principal photography of the film began in January 2019.[13]

Section 375 of I.P.C
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAjay Bahl
Produced by
  • Kumar Mangat Pathak
  • Abhishek Pathak
  • SCIPL
Written byManish Gupta
Starring
Music byScore:
Clinton Cerejo
CinematographySudhir K. Chaudhary
Edited byPraveen Angre
Production
company
Distributed by
Release date
  • 13 September 2019 (2019-09-13)
Running time
124 minutes[2]
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi
Box officeest. ₹22.30 crore[3]

The film was theatrically released in India on 13 September 2019,[14] and received mixed reviews, holding a 64% Critics Rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[15] The film opened to low numbers on opening day and was declared "Average" at box office.

Plot

Notable film director Rohan Khurana (Rahul Bhat) is arrested and convicted by a sessions court after assistant costume designer Anjali Dangle (Meera Chopra) accuses him of rape. In the High Court, senior and talented criminal barrister Tarun Saluja (Akshaye Khanna) works hard to punch holes in the accuser’s claims, while Hiral Gandhi (Richa Chadda), a utopian and fervent lawyer fighting her first big case, who was once Saluja's trainee, serve as the prosecutor and defence barrister of the claimed victim. Insisting that it is a case of an affair gone sour, Tarun Saluja points out that the law does not regard consensual physical relations as rape. Hiral Gandhi refuses to call it anything but rape, demanding justice to be served. Tarun Saluja states that Law is a fact, Justice is abstract. The case disputes the legal provisions of the penal code 375 that defines conditions under which a sexual offense can be defined as rape.

Cast

Marketing and release

The first poster of the film was released by its makers on 7 August 2019. The official teaser was released on 8 August 2019 by T-Series. In the teaser, Khanna and Chadda were seen fighting a rape case.[14][18][19] On 13 August, official trailer of the film was launched by T-Series.[20] On 5 September, a dialogue promo presenting Khanna was released.[21]

The film was premiered at Singapore South Asian International Film Festival (SgSAIFF) on 7 September 2019. It was closing film of the festival and received appreciation.[22] The film was theatrically released in India on 13 September 2019.

Reception

Critical response

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a rating of 64% based on eleven reviews, with an average rating of 7/10.[15]

Sreeparna Sengupta of The Times of India gave the film four stars out of five, praising screenplay, dialogues and performance of Akshaye Khanna, Richa Chadha, Rahul Bhat and Kishor Kadam, noted that the film made for a 'gripping watch with a crisp runtime and top-notch performances'. Concluding she wrote, "Overall, Section 375 is an audacious effort. It is a relevant film that tackles a complex issue and one that will engage, inform and open up debates."[2] Trade analyst and critic Taran Adarsh gave the film four stars out of five, tagged it as "Powerful" and praised the performance of Akshaye Khanna, Richa Chadha, writing and direction. He opined, "A relevant film that raises pertinent points... Recommended!"[23] Udita Jhunjhunwala of Firstpost gave three and half stars out of five and opined that it was the cinematography and editing that kept the film moving at desirable pace and in mood. Praising Manish Gupta’s writing, she concluded that the film neither took a shrill, moralistic stand, nor caved to 'Bollywood-ised courtroom hysteria', rather it stuck to a highly charged narrative that deftly examined both sides of the case and deferred to the rule of law.[24]

Devesh Sharma reviewing for Filmfare rates the film with three stars out of five. He wrote that the film was a 'well-crafted', 'well-acted' film with pithy and witty dialogues. He praised performance of Khanna and Chadha, but criticising the climax, concluded, “This criminal twist at the very end undoes all the good done by the film and leaves you with a bitter taste in the mouth. The director is trying to be too clever here but this cleverness eats away into the nobility of the film."[25] Manjusha Radhakrishnan of Gulf News gave three and half stars out of five, concurring in praising lead cast she wrote, "Both Khanna and Chadha are in top form as warring legal counsels". She also praised the editing of the film and noted that film was off-beat, but concurring with Sharma she felt that the second half was made 'frustratingly convenient'. Concluding she opined, "While you may not be thrilled at where the film is headed, the right thing to do is to give the searing Section 375 a fair trial."[26] Writing for CNN-News18, Rajeev Masand termed the film as an 'unmistakably compelling courtroom drama' and rated it with three and half stars out of five. He noted that director Ajay Bahl and writer Manish Gupta have made a 'sharp, thought-provoking drama' which is topical and conscious of the situation prevailing. Concluding, he opined, "It’s a well-made film with a persuasive argument that is nevertheless disturbing."[27]

Box office

Section 375 collected ₹14.5 million (US$200,000) on the opening day, and ₹30.7 million (US$430,000) on the second day, whereas the third day collection was ₹35.2 million (US$490,000), taking its total opening weekend collection to ₹80.4 million (US$1.1 million).

As of 19 September 2019, the film has a collection of ₹152.7 million (US$2.1 million) in India.[3]

gollark: Which is less than a yottabyte. By quite a lot. It's a shame.
gollark: 2^32 ≈ 10^9, so 2^64=(2^32)^2 ≈ (10^9)^2 = 10^18.
gollark: No. Anyway, I have reached the conclusion that you could not in fact have a yottabyte of RAM on a 64-bit system.
gollark: I guess it would *technically* be just Hz because radians are dimensionless but too bad.
gollark: Also, base SI units good.

See also

References
  1. "Panorama Studios, PVR Pictures unite to distribute films". Outlook. 25 June 2018. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  2. Sengupta, Sreeparna (11 September 2019). "Section 375". The Times of India. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
  3. "Section 375 Box Office". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  4. "Akshaye Khanna is brilliant but an underrated actor: Richa Chadha". India Today.
  5. "Richa Chadha goes into hiding for Section 375, refrains from being seen in public!". Times of India.
  6. "Sarah Paulson is Richa Chadha's inspiration for 'Section 375'". Times of India.
  7. "Akshaye Khanna and Richa Chadha to star in film based on misuse of rape laws". Indian Express.
  8. "Real-life victory for Akshaye Khanna-starrer Section 375". Mumbai Mirror.
  9. "Richa Chadha says she is excited to play a lawyer for the first time in Section 375". Hindustan Times.
  10. "Akshaye Khanna and Richa Chadha to feature in the film titled Section 375". India TV.
  11. "Akshaye Khanna, Richa Chadha gear up for a courtroom drama titled 'Section 375'". News Nation.
  12. "Akshaye Khanna, Richa Chadha are set to kick off Section 375". Bollywood Hungama.
  13. "Section 375: Akshaye Khanna, Richa Chadda start shooting for the courtroom drama". Box Office India.
  14. "Akshaye Khanna and Richa Chadha's 'Section 375' gets postponed, will now release on THIS date". DNA. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
  15. "SECTION 375". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
  16. "Section 375: Akshaye Khanna, Richa Chaddha start filming for the movie". Box Office India.
  17. "Akshaye Khanna, Richa Chadha And Rahul Bhat in Section 375, Shooting Started". Bollywood Helpline.
  18. "Check Out Section 375 First Poster stars Akshaye Khanna and Richa Chadha". Bollywood Mascot. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  19. "Section 375 (Teaser) - Akshaye Khanna, Richa Chadha - Ajay Bahl". YouTube. T-Series. 8 August 2019.
  20. "Section 375 Official Trailer - Akshaye Khanna, Richa Chadha,Ajay Bahl - Releasing 13 September 2019". YouTube. T-Series. 13 August 2019.
  21. "Section 375 - Dialogue Promo". Times of India. 6 September 2019.
  22. "Section 375: Akshaye Khanna, Richa Chadha's courtroom drama closes Singapore South Asian International Film Festival". Firstpost. 9 September 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  23. Taran Adarsh [@taran_adarsh] (12 September 2019). "#OneWordReview... #Section375: POWERFUL. Rating: 4/5 Engaging courtroom drama... Writing and direction top notch... Akshaye Khanna, Richa Chadha brilliant... Meera Chopra, Rahul Bhat first-rate... A relevant film that raises pertinent points... Recommended! #Section375Review t.co/Jc3DUlCgaZ" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  24. Jhunjhunwala, Udita (12 September 2019). "Section 375 movie review: Richa Chadha, Akshaye Khanna play off each other well in this nuanced film". Firstpost. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
  25. Sharma, Devesh (12 September 2019). "Movie Review: Section 375". Filmfare. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
  26. Radhakrishnan, Manjusha (12 September 2019). "Section 375' review: Richa Chaddha legal drama deserves a fair trial". Gulf News. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
  27. Rajeev, Rajeev (14 September 2019). "Section 375 Movie Review: Akshaye Khanna, Richa Chadha's Performances Make for Compelling Courtroom Drama". CNN-News18. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
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