Movie Review: Hindi Medium

Movie Review” “Hindi Medium”
Rating: 3/5
Director: Saket Chaudhary
Cast: Irrfan Khan, Saba Qamar, Deepak Dobriyal, Swati Das, Tillotama Shome, Amrita Singh

Hindi Medium Official Movie Trailer

Irrfan Khan delivers a fine performance in this film which puts the difference between Bharat and India in sharp focus. Pakistani actor Saba Qamar gets some moments too.

Hindi Medium is an enjoyable and realistic tale which lands a tight slap on the face of a society which considers English as a parameter for judging people, where people are not taken seriously if they don’t speak English well and they are made to feel inferior. The film is a wakeup call for a society where if you are not well versed in English, you will be mocked, laughed at

In the India-Bharat that we live in, and especially in New Delhi aka Nai Dilli, there are many games people play when trying to assess your worth, but whichever way you slice or dice it, much of it comes down to that biggest social significance: English or Ingliss? Hindi Medium comes at an apt time, and shines a light on the near-insurmountable barrier that language, the knowing of one, the not knowing of another, can be. As we see Chandni Chowk merchant Raj Batra and his wife Mita struggle to get their daughter into the best schools, where the parents have to pass the entrance to the nursery test first before anything else, we see the horror stories we read and see playing out in front of us.

The film opens well, and both Irrfan and Pakistani actress Saba, make you feel the anxiety and the anguish of parents in search of that very elusive holy grail: an English-medium school that will take their children to the pinnacle of success. But it dips, and becomes much less sure-footed when the family is forced to don the ‘gareebi’ garb ( to get access to the seats that private schools have to keep aside for the EWS, economically weaker section). This well-off family’s interactions with those who live in the slummy parts of the Capital, over–run by rats and stinky toilets and sarkaari schools are an uneasy, forced act: while mining sympathy, some situations turn insensitive and unconvincing.

The dialogues are hilarious and keep you entertained throughout. The plot gets a bit predictable towards the end and the film glorifies government schools, which are looked down upon in our society. The script in some aspects bears resemblance to Shiboprosad Mukherjee and Nandita Roy’s Bengali film Ramdhanu but those who have watched both, will surely know that the similarities are not major.

Irrfan Khan and Deepak Dobriyal compete with each other in terms of performance. Irrfan never fails to impress and his comic timing deserves mention.

Pakistani actress Saba Qamar is impressive as a dominating wife and a mother who is desperate to ensure good (read English) education for her daughter so that she does not lag behind in the rat race.  Amrita Singh plays a strict but corrupt headmistress and she does it with such finesse that I seriously cannot imagine anybody else in that role.

Saket Chaudhary’s last directorial Shaadi Ke Side Effects might have failed to leave an impact but with his latest one, Hindi Medium, he does not give a chance to complain. The film shows that our society is divided into two parts— those who speak English and those who don’t.

Even though the film gets a bit too dramatic in a few scenes, but if you choose to ignore that, it is entertaining. Hindi Medium draws so much from reality that many people will be able to relate to it. Irrfan Khan is surely the best choice for this film.

Suit Suit composed and sung by Guru Randhawa feat. Arjun and Ek Jindari sung by Taniskaa Sanghvi are my favourite numbers from the album. Irrfan and Dishita Sehgal’s dance with Tarey Gin Gin is a delight to watch!

This is a film with which every Indian student and parent will be able to relate. Kudos to the makers for highlighting the way education is being turned into a business in our country. At the same time, it points out the plight of government schools where the major concern is not just lack of infrastructure and facilities but also the lack of students.