Wing it with English
FILM: Hindi Medium
CAST: Irrfan Khan, Saba Qamar, Deepak Dobriyal, Amrita Singh, Delzad Hiwale, Taran Bajaj, Jaspal Sharma, Swati Das, Tilottama Shome, Vijay Kumar Dogra, Ishita Sehgal
DIRECTOR: Saket Chaudhary ●
This film is not aspiring to be an expose on the education system–instead it hopes to open up a discussion on the inequalities being practiced on the basis of language that one speaks. English of course is considered the language of the elite so the nouveau rich are the ones aspiring to challenge the dominance of the elite by branding themselves as ‘English Speaking.’ This film is about one such family.
Hindi Medium is an adaptation of the Malayalam Movie
Salt Mango Tree and also bears a close resemblance to the Bengali movie Ramdhanu. Raj Batra (Irrfan Khan) a fashion store owner from Chandni Chowk, Delhi, his wife Meeta Batra (Saba Qamar) and their little daughter Pia Batra (Ishita Sehgal) live in an urban neighbourhood before they decide to move to the more posh, upmarket Vasant Vihar so that their daughter’s admission to the prestigious schools of their choice won’t get rejected.
But rejected they are, despite having a consultant (Tilottama Shome) training them in the niceties. An attempt to bribe their way through falters so the only option now is to forge ‘economically backward section documents’ and fortify that with a move to the Bharat Nagar slum. But life throws them a curve at every step and the family have to eventually find a way out of a very sticky situation.
While the film is well-meaning it’s not completely plausible nor is it totally logical. But what works for it is the genuineness of the set-up, the attempt to develop a back story that gives the film it’s strength and terrific performances all around.
Of course, the story set-up is entirely contrived yet the point it makes cannot be denied. The system has been plagued by the rich trying to steal away all the advantages meant for the poor. Saket’s direction may not be exemplary but he certainly manages to get the humour working and in the process throws up some challenges.
The writing is sharp but the plotting doesn’t quite matchup. And the concluding act comes across as a little too abrupt. Justifications are measly but performances are luminous. Both Irrfan Khan and Saba Qamar give their roles a strength that shines through in their respective acts. Amrita Singh as the principal of a prestigious school is appropriately steely and Deepak Dobriyal and the rest of the ensemble performers leave their distinctive impressions with a lot of heart. There’s a message here that needs to be heard and it’s quite noble minded if you ask me!