Overview
A poignant exploration of love and identity in a repressive society.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- melancholic
- intimate
- restrained
- reflective viewing
- human rights film night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a subtle, sensitive, and emotionally powerful portrait of loneliness, queer dignity, and institutional injustice, led by Manoj Bajpayee's performance.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Professor Siras's solitary domestic life, love of poetry and music, and restrained emotional world remain central alongside the legal controversy.
Aligarh Muslim University removes Siras from his academic position after a television sting exposes his consensual intimacy.
Hansal Mehta emphasizes Siras's loneliness, ordinary routines, and subdued interactions over sensational courtroom melodrama.
The intimate encounter filmed inside Siras's home becomes the basis for institutional punishment and wider public scrutiny.
Films like Aligarh, and why
The Imitation Game
sensitive lgbtq drama grounded in social prejudice and intimate character study
My Brother... Nikhil
quiet, humanistic indian drama about marginalized identity, institutional pressure, and loneliness
Philomena
empathetic biographical drama centered on persecution, dignity, and a remarkable lead performance
Court
socially engaged independent drama using restrained realism to examine institutional injustice
Movie Details
- Director
- Hansal Mehta
- Release Date
- 2016-02-26
- Runtime
- 114 min
- Rating
- 6.8 / 10 (55)
Cast
- Manoj Bajpayee
- Rajkummar Rao
- Ishwak Singh
- Dilnaz Irani
- Sukhesh Arora
- Balaji Gauri
- Sumit Gulati
- K.R. Parmeshwar
- Nutan Surya
- Suman Vaidya
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Eros Now Select Apple TV channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Aligarh about?
- A solitary Marathi professor confronts institutional persecution after a television sting exposes his private same-sex relationship.
- What is Aligarh like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Aligarh as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Aligarh violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Aligarh as mild.
- What did critics think of Aligarh?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a subtle, sensitive, and emotionally powerful portrait of loneliness, queer dignity, and institutional injustice, led by Manoj Bajpayee's performance.
- Which films are like Aligarh?
- Films with a similar feel include The Imitation Game, My Brother... Nikhil, Philomena, and Court.
- How long is Aligarh?
- Aligarh runs 114 minutes.
- Where can I watch Aligarh?
- In United States, Aligarh streams on Eros Now Select Apple TV channel.
