Movie Review: Hichki

Movie Review: Hichki
Rating: 3/5
Director: Siddharth P Malhotra
Cast: Rani Mukerji, Neeraj Kabi, Shiv Subrahmanyam, Sachin Pilgaonkar, Supriya Pilgaonkar, Asif Basra

Hichki Movie Trailer

Siddharth Malhotra’s Hichki portraits the thought “There are no bad students, only bad teachers”. Hichki is about one such person who is determined to give compassion, knowledge and understanding to the world, a simple story about an aspiring teacher Naina Mathur (Rani Mukerji) who has been rejected for 18 times by schools because of her Tourette Syndrome.

Hichki begins well with a focus on Naina’s struggles in life. She is battling a multifaceted war, within the family and outside it.  Malhotra sees a chance to go melodramatic here. He begins exploring the situations to evoke tears. Some emotional sequences come as forced and go without proving any point. The teacher-students rapport takes a lot of time to build but once it’s out there it’s splendid. Follow Spotlife Asia for the latest Entertainment and Lifestyle news.

Jasleen Royal has composed the songs for the film which go well with the situations. Oye Hichki and Khol De Par are two songs that clicked for me. Hitesh Sonik’s background score is passable as we have heard some amazing work from him. The emphasis on drama takes the focus away from the class struggle between slum dwellers and the upper middle class. The anger to be counted as equals has been touched upon but not explored.

Rani Mukerji is literally the queen of the film and steals every frame with her presence. With her performance she makes us believe how much we were missing her. She has made the Tourettes look so simple, which totally is not. She is effortlessly beautiful.

Neeraj Kabi as the head of the student’s council and Shiv Subrahmanyam as the principal of the school are good with their respective roles. The bunch of students is super talented and each one of them has given memorable performances.

The film oscillates between a strong-willed teacher and some kids pushing against the wall. One can be a hero only at the cost of the other. Hichki has Rani Mukerji delivering one of the best performances of her career. Watch it for her and the sweet little message makers are trying to give with this one.