Teaching is a noble profession. Paathshaala explores if this is really true.
But is it really true in these days of commercialization and consumerism? Everyday, we read in the newspaper about students being bogged down under study pressures, parents burdened with fees hikes, teachers punishing students inhumanly, some students even dying in such cases or some committing suicides… what state of affairs we have brought our education system to? Paathshaala movie review…
The story starts with joining of a new English Teacher Rahul Prakash Udyawar (Shahid Kapoor) in Saraswati Vidya Mandir School, situated in the outskirts of Mumbai Suburbs. Though he creates instant rapport with students and teachers alike, he realizes that there is something amiss in this school. Slowly his doubts come true as the manager of school, Sharma (Saurabh Shukla) makes monetary obligation compulsory on the parents in the name of extra curricular activities.
Sharma goes to the extent of punishing the students inhumanly when the new unjustified demands of the school are not fulfilled by the parents. Day by day, the stress level among the students increases many folds leading to the unexpected and grim consequences.
A situation becomes so explosive that finally it becomes a national issue.
Paathshala tries to answer many questions related to the sanctity of today’s education system. The high morals and basic ethics of the teachings have taken back seat. Profit and more profit have become a new mantra of educational institutions.
A honest film, Paathshaala is not afraid of telling the truth of wrong doings of the greedy educational institutes on the face; neither has it spared them from exposing the use of unethical media activities for the children who are yet not ready for it.
It is an urgent desperate eye-opening mission for our education system today.
Principal Aditya Sahay (Nana Patekar), a man of upright principles is responsible for the growth and reputation of Saraswati Vidya Mandir for the last 3 decades. He loves his students and everything about education and the future of his students is a mission for him, even if it means to sacrifice his personal interests.
Rahul Prakash Udyavar is modern and liberal in his views about education. He goes out of the way to help students. He is the one who stands against any injustice done to students. His mission is to create an educational system based on true spirit, natural inclinations and an overall growth. Naturally he becomes any eye of a storm for the old timers in education system.
Teacher Anjali Mathur (Ayesha Takia) is an enthusiastic young, bubbly teacher who loves her job so much that she doesn’t mind taking multiple responsibilities of being an ECA teacher, hostel matron and the music teacher. When the oppressive discipline and other irregularities in school burden the students, she stands by Rahul Prakash Udyavar in his fight against school management. She even sacrifices her career abroad for the sake of her fight for justice.
Lallan Sharma (Saurabh Sukhla) is a typical ill mannered and oppressive manager of the school who misuses the powers of the system to burden students with hikes in fees and additional charges. He is rude to students, staff, teaches and takes deep pleasure in troubling everyone in around the school.
Vijendra Chauhan (Shushant Singh) the sports teacher is a man of discipline and honour. He too disapproves the new schemes aimed to burden the student and is a great support to Rahul Prakash Udyavar in his fight against the atrocities on the students.
Paathshaala is an average film which explores the state of the Indian education system and its changing face with good old fashioned education values now being replaced with schools getting more plush and raking in money collected from the pupil’s parentss.
Brilliant performances by Nana Patekar and Shahid Kapoor. Ayesha Takia doesn’t get much to do here, while Shushant Singh is fittingly cast as the sports teacher.
Cast of Paathshaala:
Nana Patekar – Principal Aditya Sahay
Shahid Kapoor – Rahul Prakash Udyavar
Ayesha Takia – Anjali Mathur
Saurabh Shukla – Lallan Sharma
Sushant Singh – Vijendra Chauhan
Anjjan Shrivastav
Nasser Abdullah
Sunny Singh
Shradhha Arya
Kainaz Motiwala
Swini Khara
Avika Gor
Ali Haji
Dwij Narendra Yadav
Vicky Ahuja
Rishabh Jain
Sanatan Modi
Preeti Kopikar
Canny Singh
Sagar Kale
Credits & Crew of Paathshaala:
Presenter: Eros International
Production: Paperdoll Entertainment
Producer: Shaira Khan
Director: Milind Ukey
Music, Lyrics & Background Score: Hanif Shaikh
Story / Screenplay: Ahmed Khan
Dialogues: Hanif Shaikh
Director of Photography: Badshah Lal Sayed
Editor: Ashfaque Makrani
Choreographer: Ahmed Khan
Art Director: Kishan Gupta, Prabhat Thakur
Costumes: Shabina Khan, Komal Sahani, Zainub Shaikh
Audiographer: Pradeep Suri
Associate Director: Abhishek Dogra
Chief Assistant Directors: Asif Sayed Ali, Atif Khan
Assistant Directors: Shivangi Bohra, Sweta Pradhan, Anshu Gautam, Sudha Pujari, Adnan A Shaikh
Paathshaala, movie review