Rabindranath Tagore spoke of the nation, not as mrinmaya (territorial) but chinmaya (ideational). He believed that people could have multiple, individual identities, yet identify themselves as Indian, with the idea of India. This idea of a complex, layered, multiple-identity Indian is more relevant today, when right-wing political parties impose a monolithic definition of all Indians as cow-worshipping Hindus, and to hell with facts, the truth and history. It is all the more vital to support Hansal Mehta’s Aligarh, a powerful new film that pushes the envelope in exploring multiple Indian identities. Mehta had earlier won the National Award for Best Director for Shahid.

Manoj Bajpai in Aligarh