Varthamanam 2021

Faiza Sufiya arrives at Delhi University as a research student, embarking on a study of Abdurahiman Sahib, a freedom fighter from Malabar. On campus she quickly crosses paths with Amal and a group of students who express their views with a clear and often sharp political stance. Her roommate, Tulsa, is from a Scheduled Caste and stands out as the first from her community to pursue higher education. The university campus becomes a stage for heated debate and marching protests, with Faiza and her friends rallying alongside those demanding rights for Rohan, another student from the same community who faces the system’s indifference.

Amid the bustle of classrooms and seminars, the students share moments of ordinary life as they attend Tulsa’s brother’s wedding, a brief respite from the charged atmosphere of campus politics. Yet the sense of impending conflict remains, because the activists are acutely aware of the rising anti-fascist pressure that threatens anyone who speaks out. When Faiza leads a seminar, the ideological fault lines on campus widen, and the fascists intensify their pressure.

The campus atmosphere shifts dramatically after a tragedy: Tulsa’s brother is killed in connection with a case involving cow protection, a incident that exposes the brutal consequences of bigotry and communal tension. The loss hits hard, and the students who have stood with Tulsa—led by Faiza and her circle—unite more closely to defend her and to honor the memory of her family. Their solidarity grows into a broader movement: they decide to stage a skit that highlights the hardships faced by marginalized communities, with the support of Pothuvaal. The plan is simple in aim but risky in execution: use the power of theater to educate and awaken their peers to injustice.

But the act of protest invites retaliation. The fascists attack the group by undermining their credibility and turning the campus against them, painting Faiza as an anti-nationalist and branding the whole effort as dangerous. Faced with mounting accusations and pressure, Faiza becomes the prime target, and the group finds themselves on the run to protect her reputation and safety. The situation escalates quickly: Faiza is arrested by the police, though the arrest is not officially recorded at first, and the truth of her detention begins to leak through the media and public attention.

With the help of Amal, Aadarsh, and Pothuvaal, along with Faiza’s grandfather—himself a freedom fighter—the circle fights to bring Faiza back into the light. The mass media’s spotlight forces the police to acknowledge what happened, and Faiza is produced in court, turning the case into a public struggle over the meaning of justice and the price of dissent. In a dramatic culmination, the fascists attempt to derail the skit at the last moment by arresting several of its participants. Despite their odds, Amal and Aadarsh carry on with the performance, and just as the show seems to be cut short, Faiza herself arrives at the stage. With calm resolve, she completes the skit, delivering a powerful final act that juxtaposes art and activism, truth and fear, in a moment that resonates beyond the campus.

The film closes on a note that underscores resilience in the face of intimidation. It is a story about how a diverse group of students, driven by justice and guided by memory—of freedom fighters and the generations that followed—uses culture and solidarity to challenge oppression. It paints a portrait of campus life where courage, friendship, and creative expression become instruments of resistance, reminding us that demonstrations of truth can endure even when the air is thick with hostility.