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Ayushmann Khurrana starrer Article 15 becomes a weapon to fight discrimination in Punjab villages

4 Sep 2019

Ayushmann Khurrana was last seen in the Anubhav Sinha directorial Article 15.The film had a huge impact on the audience and was much appreciated by all. It was also the first time that had Khurrana playing a tough cop. The film threw light on the ugly reality of caste discrimination in the country. However, the impact of the film was not limited to the screens. The movie is now being used as a weapon to fight caste discrimination in villages. The film resonated with Ramesh Rana, vice president of the Punjab Unit of the Indian Federation of Trade Unions (IFTU). He has been helping people of Dhar village in Punjab for the last 15 years in their fight for water. Rana has picked up Article 15 as a weapon in his fight to end caste discrimination in the villages of Punjab. People from scheduled castes in Dhar village, near Pathankot, Punjab, have been victims of caste-based discrimination to the extent that they are not allowed access to water from the mountains. Reportedly, Rana fought the water war for scheduled castes in 2004 when the people of upper-caste communities in Dhar blocked the water from the mountains. They considered the water their sole right, making lives difficult for people of scheduled castes living in the lower region. Back in 2004, Rana did not win the war but has decided to use Article 15 to fight this injustice. Two days after Article 15 hit the theatres, Rana organised a meeting with the Democratic Mulazim Federation (DMF) to raise funds to show the film in the villages of Pathankot. Rana first showed Article 15 to his union workers at a theatre in Pathankot. From the money raised at the theatre, they bought a projector. Now, they will show the film in villages to raise awareness of caste discrimination.