23

It is tough to look at 23 (Iravai Moodu) solely as a film. The indie-spirited Telugu venture based on real incidents, written and directed by Raj R, is part social commentary, presented in a docu-drama style. Armed with a cast that includes 25 newcomers and a few established names, Raj questions if the justice system is equal to everyone. George Orwell’s statement from Animal Farm, ‘All are equal, but some are more equal than others’, sets the tone of the film that wants its audience to look at crime and its perpetrators through different perspectives. The film’s premise is shaped by three incidents that shook undivided Andhra Pradesh in the 1990s. In 1991, the Tsunduru massacre witnessed brutal caste violence against Dalits. In 1993, 23 passengers lost their lives after two Dalit men set a bus on fire in Chilakaluripet. In 1997, a car bomb explosion in Film Nagar, Hyderabad, reportedly killed 26 and injured several others.