Aarakshan | Hindi Movie | Bollywood Film Reviews

Movies are not made for the entertainment purpose only but they can also be used as a great medium to elaborate a social or political issue which in fact impact the lives of the real people in real world.

Movie	:	Aarakshan
Director	:	Prakash Jha
Starring	:	Amitabh Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan, Manoj Bajpayee, Deepika Padukone, Prateik Babbar

Not all movie directors and producers will agree with the statement and as they are investing a handsome amount of money while creating the movie, they are free to decide the way they want to go through. Because fantasy movies or larger than the life characters is having their own impact on the people. It takes them to the different world. Which let them get away themselves from the hardness of the reality. Their subconscious mind attach links the things in such a way that the person see his own victory when the hero of the movie won, ditto when he loose. Let’s not discuss the movie types here but we must agree that there are a few movies and movie makers who dare to explore the reality on the silver screen. And that too, in such a nice way that it makes the movie the masterpiece.

In current generation of the Bollywood movie directors, Prakash Jha is one of them. All the movies he create, is embedded with a current issue as the centralized theme. Whether its Gangajal, or Apharan or even Rajneeti or any other movie. Aarakshan is also following the same path. He dares to touch the firing issue of “Reservation”. It is a debatable question that when we talk about the equality of all, why we need reservation anyway?! And Prakash Jha is also not speaking in favor of any of the sides of the coin. He explores the point of views and problems, experiences and beliefs of both the sides. Apart from that the movie also is weaved with a really important issue, which is neglected by a many people by not understanding its impact on the society in multi-dimensional manner. That is, the commercialization of teaching. Remember, India is a land where teacher are respected as parents and even considered as God. In the changing face of the education, there are commercial institutions where students can call their professor by name. There are institutions where the children of politicians and bureaucrats studying by paying hundreds of thousands of rupees and they are treated like guest of the five star hotel. That is not the education. That’s business. Business with no risk. If student tops the exam, its due to your school/college/coaching class and its way of coaching which made it happen. It student fails, he didn’t try enough; the institute cannot be blamed!

Book Plot:

Anyway, let’s come to the story of the movie which is a socio-political drama based on the controversial policy of caste based reservations in government jobs and educational institutions

Prof. Prabhakar Anand (Amitabh Bachchan) is the principal of a college named SDM. He is very idealistic. He helps the needy students by providing free coaching at his own home after the college time. He is very generous and even helps the families of the student in case needed. He have a daughter named Purvi (called Poorbi sometimes in the movie, Deepika Padukone). Deepak Kumar (Saif Ali Khan) is a student who have completed his studies from Prof. Anand’s college and he admires hima lot. He already have applied for the study of Ph.D. in a university of America, he is waiting for the reply. As he was needed the job, Prof. Anand appoints him as a jr. lecturer in his college, as a sto-gap arrangement, till his call from USA is there.

By the way Deepak belongs to a scheduled cast and Poorbi loves him. Sushant Seth (Prateek Babbar), who belongs to the high caste and rich class, is also a student of the college and a friend of Poorbi. The days comes when the Supreme Court upheld the quota system changes proposed by the Mandal commission (a government segment) which irks tension between high and lower castes, and the flames reaches to the college.

Vice principal Mithilesh Singh (Manoj Bajpai) calls the police to control the situation. Prof. Anand isn’t happy with the step to call the police and he pulls up Mithilesh for calling police in the college premises. The tension between merit-worthy students and lower-caste students keeps growing. In one such incident Mithilesh pushes the condition in the way that a tention grows between Mithilesh, Deepak and Sushant. Prof. Anand suspends Sushant on the incident and asks Deepak to leave. Deepak takes the thing in ill manner and feels hurt. He also behaves rudely with Prof. Anand. It results into breakup between Poorbi and Deepak. The things are twisted by the trustees and Mithilesh. When prof. Anand questions Mithilesh about his running of coaching classes as the side business, which is against the policy of the college (and spending his college duty time in his private classes), the group of trustees force prof. Anand to step down, and finally thrown out by making Mithilesh the principal of the college.

A house prof. Anand owned and had, on humanitarian grounds, allowed his friend’s two sons to use to run computer classes, given on rent by the two sons to Mithilesh to run his coaching class. Anand is now angry with Mithilesh for having played dirty politics with him. Homeless now as the accommodation provided by the college, which left no way for prof. but to use his teaching skills to keep earning for the living.

The classes started by him got immense success as the students learnt from him tops several examinations. The politics against him gets even dirtier.

What happens next is pretty predictable, yet delight to watch on screen. The movie gives the message that those who are intelligent enough but doesn’t get proper chance due to lack of money or other resources, must be given a fair chance, as intelligence and skills excel over the other factors.

There is not much scope of the music in the movie but still songs are weaved in the story properly. One of them stands out amongst others. Amitabh acts well, initially he looks as usual but as the story moves ahead, he proves, how dependable actor he is. Watching Saif in the role which is totally opposite to the circumstance he is grown up, so convincingly is a delight. He acted well in only a few films and this is one of them no doubt. Hema looks graceful in the Cameo. Deepika enacts her part well. So does all the other actors. Only Prateik Babbar acts below his level.

Overall a nice movie, a must watch. Especially, in the current circumstances. Kudos to Prakash Jha for his honest attempt.