The premise of this predominantly educative film which is scheduled for release this Friday on January 29 which deals with the topic of poorly run government schools in small villages in the Hindi heartland of India has a plot which has never been earlier tackled in Bollywood by any filmmaker and touches the untouched topic of education in rural primary schools in India where proxy system still being followed with vengeance by some corrupt elements in rural areas. In this school in a village, hardly a handful of students attend the school, though a lot many more turn up for the free mid-day lunch served under the government's mid-day meal scheme for school students.
Jyothi Venkatesh
The unique film sets out to talk about the protagonist Ashish Kumar (Shiva Suryavanshi) whose heart and soul lies in teaching and educating kids. With zeal to teach the rural kids, Suryavanshi even sets out to leave a most lucrative and cushy government job IAS to pursue his dream. His latest assignment in a far-flung backward area brings him face to face with people and forces entrenched in dogma, superstition, ignorance and corruption, but undauntedly, he slowly by his conviction and consistency is able to transform a village Primary school so radically that the school starts competing with the best private schools around, aided amply by the support of the village head and a young woman Usha Devi (Sheetal Singh), who is obviously attracted to him hook, line and sinker.
Like in the super duper hit film Super 30, a handful of people who are swept out by this change hatch a conspiracy against him. How Ashish Kumar faces these new challenges and more importantly is able to continue his avowed path of spreading education and awareness is what the crux and core of this exemplary and topical film reveals in its climax.
Shiva Suryavanshi, who has co-written the film with director Aditya Om, superbly fits the bill as the soft-hearted yet determined teacher whose passion to teach children knows no bounds and effortlessly transforms himself into the character well, with effortless ease bringing out the inherent humility of Ashish Kumar, which is commendable since it is his debut as an actor too. Sheetal Singh has been perfectly cast as his romantic foil and her natural performance is a delight to watch..
Producer- Rohini LB Singh
Director- Aditya Om
Star Cast- Shiva Suryavanshi, Sheetal Singh, along with Kritika Singh, Narmadeshwar Dubey, Chandrabhushan Singh.
Genre- Social
Rating- *** (Three)
Topical & Exemplary!