Star Cast of Paathshaala: Shahid Kapoor, Nana Patekar, Ayesha Takia Azmi, Swini Khara, Dwij Yadav, Master Ali Haji, Avika Gor, Sushant Singh, Saurabh Shukla, Lallan Sharma, Nassar Abdulla, Shraddha Arya, Sanatan Modi, Anjan Srivastava, Vicky Ahuja, Preeti Kopikar
Director: Milind Ukey
With newspapers, Television channels and even the internet being filled with reports of teachers ill-treating the students, you read about such incidents on a daily basis. It is now a well established fact that along with the parents, the teachers are also responsible for putting a lot of pressure on the students because if the students from their institution do well, the prestige of the concerned institution suddenly goes up. So, apart from the load of his books, a student also carries the load of his own dreams, dreams of his parents, dreams of his family, dreams of his teachers and dreams of the institution where he studies as everyone wants the student to do well.
Paathshaala throws light on our schools and education system. The film talks about how our schools are inadequately prepared to help our students to get the best education according to their mental capabilities and also fail to develop them morally and ethically to make them good human beings.
Unfortunately, Paathshaala fails where films like Taare Zameen Par and 3 Idiots succeed. Though like Taare Zameen Par and 3 Idiots, Paathshaala has been made with great intentions and has something to say but the problem with Paathshaala is that unlike the two previous films, writer Ahmed Khan and directed by Milind Ukey fail to translate a good story idea into a good film. Though the portion of the film where the director highlight the plight of students and the drawback of the present day education system is captivating, the problem with Paathshaala is that it looses track mid-way. There was just no need for the director to show the portion where the school tries to boost its image with the help of the media because it just takes a story, which is making a point about various pressures the present day students have to go through totally off-track.
The film starts with Rahul Prakash Udyavar [Shahid Kapoor], an English teacher joining a school. Though, he is instantly liked by both the students and the teachers and forms an instant rapport with them, he soon realizes that not all is well with the school.
Soon he finds one of his colleagues and school manager Sharma [Saurabh Shukla] making some monetary obligations compulsory on the students and even punishes the students, who do not fulfill the demands.
When Rahul and some other teachers [Ayesha Takia, Sushant Singh] protest against this unnecessary pressure being put on students, the principal of the school Aditya Sahay [Nana Patekar], who is a dedicated educationist and has been running the institution for the last 32 years, justifies the management’s decision.
The management of the school then becomes over-ambitious and involves media planners in the extra-curricular activities. The school plans to involve its students in Television reality talk show, consequently putting extra pressure on them. This extra pressure has an adverse effect the students and both the school and the students have to face grave consequences.
The problem with Paathshaala is that whereas some portions of the film are too good and look real, others are very ordinary and unreal. To talk of realistic part of the film, Paathshaala bring back the horrifying memories of your school days when you were called to principal’s room or made to stand in the heat as punishment. But, the press photographer munching samosa as the kids get ready with a pyramid, looks unreal.
The climax of the film is confusing and Nana’s speech in the end fails to catch your attention.
Though Milind Ukey as a director leaves an impact at places, he still needs to learn a lot. He needs to understand that a good film is one, which entertains you for three hours and not in portions as is the case with Paathshaala. The music of Hanif Shaikh is ordinary.
The film has good performances by Nana Patekar, Shahid Kapoor, Ayesha Takia, Sushant Singh, Sushmita Mukherjee and Saurabh Shukla.
Paathshaala had the potential of being another Taare Zameen Par or 3 Idiots, but a weak screenplay, which deviates the story from its main idea and storyline, does not make it a film, which it could have been.
