Paathshaala Movie Review, Rating
Times of India
Film: Paathshaala
Cast: Shahid Kapoor,
Ayesha Takia, Nana Patekar
Genre: Drama
Direction: Milind Ukey
Duration: 2 hours
Critic's Rating: 3 Star
Synopsis : Shahid Kapoor joins Saraswati Vidya Mandir, an old school on the threshold of change, as the English teacher. He soon realises not all the changes are going to benefit the students, even as Principal Nana Patekar fights a losing battle with the profit-obsessed mmanagement. Time for revolution....
Movie Review: The film is low key, restrained and often too laid back. Yet it works because it is intensely topical and has an uncluttered charm to it. Set in the precincts of an old world school, it traces the battle of a handful of sincere and committed teachers and students against a newage management that wants to transform the centre of education into a commercial venture. Needless to say, the malaise within Saraswati Vidya Mandir is symptomatic of the disturbing trend which seems to have overtaken our real-life schooling system too. One where an increasing number of private schools are yelling `show me the money' to a growing band of concerned parents. Again, can't blame them entirely, can we? Blame the competition....
But Paathshaala does strike a chord with its simple tale of how a few good men -- and kids -- first try to cope up with a rapidly changing system of education which has the kids trying to hard sell their school by participating in reality shows and grabbing space in the print and television media. The management has not only hiked the fee and is implementing any and every scheme to make an easy buck, it has also hired a marketing company to create a buzz about the school. It doesn't take long before the sensitive and guru-like teachers are all side-lined by the cell-phone wielding image-makers who wouldn't care less about a kid's emotions. But, there's only this much moolah-alone-matters mantra that our in-house Sidney Poitier (read Shahid Kapoor) can handle. Soon, he's spearheading an andolan against the brutish management, along with the bachcha log and the noble profession people. Read More At Times Of India
Rediff
Rediff Rating : 1 and Half Star
Unfortunately the title of this film will have most parents' think of it as a children's film. But Paathshaala is not a kiddie flick.
Neither is it targeted at an adult audience. In fact Paathshaala is a film which won't keep anybody entertained (young or old). After the blockbuster hit Taare Zameen Par it was only a matter of time before another film on the evils of the education system was churned out. So now director Milind Ukey brings us Paathshaala.
Saraswati Vidya Mandir is an educational institution which nurtures kids and upholds education as a noble profession. The man at the helm of affairs is principal Nana Patekar (Aditya Sahay) a man who has sacrificed his life for the school, never felt the need to get married; in short, a model principal.
Then the trustees of the school feel the school isn't generating enough revenue, it isn't a brand name, and all that spiel which goes with it. In this scenario enters the young idealist Shahid Kapoor (Rahul Prakash Udyavar) who is horrified at what's happening in the school.
Paathshaala is clearly inspired by Taare Zameen Par or maybe it's a coincidence. But the similarities cannot be missed. Shahid loves his profession and all the kids he works with. There is no romance in his life. But Taare stayed focused on a single issue whereas Paathshaala hopes to dwell on all that is wrong with our system today. The film meanders on and the audience is wondering whether this is a docu-drama being churned out by Films Division.
Everything about the film is one-dimensional. The school itself is a set and looks like a cardboard cut-out. The characters are all good or all bad; there are no shades of grey.
The supporting cast of teachers looks straight out of a TV serial. Kurush Deboo (better known as Rustom Pavri from Munnabhai ) plays Cyrus Hansotia a pessimistic teacher who carries his own duster and flings chalks around the classroom. Sushmita Mukherjee is Mrs Bose, a bumbling Bengali geography teacher who stumbles in and stumbles out of the frame. And that's all they do right through the film.
So as Nana Patekar sets out to compromise on his values and generate profits for the school, several issues are raked up. Selling stationery and sports goods at higher prices, vending soft drinks and junk foods which are harmful for kids, increasing the fees mid-year, it's almost like the script writer and producer Ahmed Khan created a list of grievances which had to be included in the film. But they do not come together to form a cohesive screenplay.
If this wasn't enough the film also deals with the issue of reality shows. But facts are presented in a confused haphazard manner. No school can send children for a reality show audition without explicit consent from the parents. The crew behind reality shows is loud-mouthed and offensive. Read More At Rediff
Merinews
Merinews Rating : 4 Star
'PAATHSHAALA', SHARING its release with RGV's Phoonk 2 hits the cinema houses today on April 16. The film under the direction of Milind Ukey has a topical story highlighting the coarse fact that education centers have been merely reduced to a commercial hub. The story touches upon the grave situation where these alleged education centers are minting money from the parents claiming to give quality education to their children.
Paathshaala showcases Shahid Kapoor as an ideal school teacher named Rahul Prakash Udyavar paired opposite another teacher played by Ayesha Takia. Nana Patekar will be seen playing the strong role of a principal in a school named 'Saraswati Vidya Mandir'.
Paathshaala portrays the obligatory monetary compulsions levied by the management of 'Saraswati Vidya Mandir' school on the parents of the students studying in the school. With Saraswati Vidya Mandir as an example the film presses upon the flawed education system followed by the Indian society. The film in the offset dwells upon the mounting academic pressure on the students, the mindset of parents as well as that of the students about the entire education process. The story is upfront on the issue of commercialization of the education system in the contemporary India. Read More At MeriNews