Article 370 (film)

Chapter 1: The Lover Boy of Tral

NIA officer Zooni Haskar poses as a manicurist to blackmail Sabia, the girlfriend of terrorist leader Burhan Wani into providing information about his whereabouts. Using it, she leads a successful operation to eliminate him without authorization from her superiors. This provides separatist leader Yakub Shiekh and his allies an opportunity to portray him as a martyr, and they launch agitation across the state, as well as replacing Wani with another terrorist leader, Zakir Naikoo. The worsening law and order situation causes Zooni to be reprimanded and transferred to New Delhi.

Chapter 2: A Knock on the Door

Rajeshwari Swaminathan, the Joint Secretary at the PMO (Prime Minister's Office) meets with Jagmohan Patil, former Governor of Kashmir, to discuss abrogating Article 370. She brings the NIA into Kashmir to stabilise the situation. Later, Zooni meets Salahuddin Jalal (based on Omar Abdullah) in Delhi. Jalal mentions Zooni's father, Kabir, a whistleblower, who was found dead. The Government of India was unable to investigate due to Article 370. Rajeshwari meets with Zooni, trying to convince her to go back to Kashmir. She accepts the offer under the condition that two more people can be on the team.

Chapter 3: Blindspot

Zooni meets her team in Srinagar which includes Namita Chaturvedi, an Assistant Enforcement Officer for the ED, Gaurang Sengupta, a Financial Crime Consultant for the CBI, Ashish Mattoo, and her two requested members. Shamsher Abdali is identified as a primary suspect for the funding of a stone-pelting incident in Anantnag. They decide to investigate his dry fruit business, raiding his warehouse and killing his contractor. After hacking his phone call history, they identify Abdali, who is both an ISI agent and double agent working for Khawar, a former senior of Zooni. Zooni and the CRPF manage to secure Abdali. Jalal and Andrabi try to form a coalition government and gain control of the Valley. However, the fax machine at the Indian ministry doesn’t work, and the President’s rule is imposed on Kashmir, foiling their plans. Tragedy strikes when Zooni's friend Chauhan is killed in the 2019 Pulwama attack.

Chapter 4: Save the Date

Grief-stricken and enraged, Zooni captures and interrogates Yakub Shelin. He is chained to a chair and refuses to talk to her colleagues. Then she arrives and throws him out the window, (holding the chair) and threatening to drop it if he does not speak. Out of fear, he reveals that the mastermind of the bombing was Naikoo and she also has Khawar removed from his position for once again, unwittingly aiding the separatists. The government decides to work on abrogating Article 370 as Zooni recovers a vital document hidden in a Kashmir library, integral in removing it. She finds out that a sub-clause 'd' is removed due to historical reasons.

Chapter 5: Sub-clause (d)

After Rajeshwari briefs the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Zooni's team studies the Constitution and searches for loopholes that will allow the government to enact this law. They make preparations for handling the numerous problems that can occur in the valley, as well as potential retaliation by Pakistan, neighboring countries and terrorist organizations. They also attempt the suppressing of all forms of social unrest that could be created, arresting all anti-Indian elements in the Valley including Sheikh’s fellow conspirators and separatist leaders as well as keeping the mission a secret from the media, whom they confuse with multiple fake stories, and even tricking the Pakistani military, something Khawar helps them with.

Chapter 6: It Was, It Is, and It Always Will Be

The PM works on passing the bill in the Rajya Sabha, where his party is in minority and faces challenges from the opposition party members, while maintaining that Kashmir is a part of India and they can remove the special status. Zooni and her team uncover Naikoo’s plan to kill Jalal as a way to discrediti the Indian Government and invite sanctions. As Gaurang poses as Jalal, they leave for a safe house in a convoy which is then attacked by Naikoo and his men, whom the CRPF forces engage with and defeat. The bill passes just as Zooni kills Naikoo, avenging her friend as Article 370 is abrogated.

The PM, Home Minister, Rajeshwari and the NIA team celebrate their victory and mourns those lost in the fight. Zooni finds peace as her father’s case file is reopened for investigation. The end credits show real-life photos of the peace and progress that has since taken place in Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370.

Critical reception

Devesh Sharma of Filmfare gave 3.5 out of 5 stars and stated that "the film is a cracker of an action film and if one doesn't dwell on its political stance much, can be thoroughly enjoyed as an action thriller."^[15] Abhishek Srivastava of The Times of India also rated 3.5 out of 5 stars and stated that "Article 370 remains engaging for the most part" and that the film "proves to be a worthwhile watch, offering enough substance to keep viewers engaged and invested".^[16] Monika Rawal Kukreja of Hindustan Times wrote that "Article 370 underlines one of the most crucial chapters in our nation's history. With an impressive writing, simple narrative and outstanding direction, it effortlessly manages to send across the message it intends to".^[17]

Mukund Setlur, writing for the Deccan Herald gave a rating of 2.5/5 and added that "While elements of drama and action are aplenty, the film lacks the intelligence and the genuineness needed to sustain a conversation."^[18]

Calling it a "hard-hitting political drama", Titas Chowdhury of CNN-News18 rated 3.5 out of 5 stars, and stated that "the makers waste no time and dive into the crux of the story in the first half and it makes for a fast-paced experience till the point of intermission. It's the second half of the film that appears stretched out".^[19] Lachmi Deb Roy of Firstpost awarded 3 out of 5, calling it a "compelling narrative that informs and engages without making it look like a history and civics lesson"^[20] Asmita Pant of CNBC TV18 wrote that "the film offers a grounded perspective on the Kashmir issue. It delves deep into emotions but never interrupts the story's flow", and that "the filmmakers have eschewed sensationalism" and created a "narrative infused with cinematic flair".^[21]

Sana Farzeen of India Today rated 3 out of 5 stars and added that "Article 370 is a well-made film but will test your patience with its run-time of 2 hours and 40 minutes", also noted that the film is "tuned to the propaganda value" for the ruling government.^[22] Shalini Langer of The Indian Express rated 2.5/5 and added that the film "serves its politics unabashedly as it mixes facts with fiction".^[8]

A critic from Bollywood Hungama gave 3.5 out of 5 stars and called it "a gripping tale that attempts to depict an important chapter of India’s history in an entertaining and simple manner."^[23] Rohit Bhatnagar of The Free Press Journal rated 3 in a scale of 5, stating that "Yami Gautam’s film voices truth but in a textbook manner ... Away from the picking political sides or even having his own ideology in place, Aditya sheds light on what had happened and that’s like cherry on top".^[24] Abhimanyu Mathur of Daily News and Analysis awarded 3.5 out of 5 stars, and said that "it is a technically well-made film, packed with great performances, seamless direction, and a solid background score"; it "excels when it is being a thriller", however, "the film falters when it tries to get political. Because at this point, it resorts to boring tropes, caricatures, and over-the-top acting".^[25]