Aarakshan (Hindi)

Release Date:
August 12, 2011

Aarakshan is the story of Prabhakar Anand (Amitabh Bachchan), the legendary idealistic principal of a college that he has single-handedly turned into the state's best. It is the story of his loyal disciple, Deepak Kumar (Saif Ali Khan) who will do anything for his Sir. Of Deepak's love for Prabhakar's daughter, Poorbi (Deepika Padukone), of his friendship with Sushant (Prateik). It is the story of their love, their lively friendship, their zest for life, and of their dreams for the future.

Centered on one of the most controversial issues of recent years, with the Supreme Court's order on reservations, the story suddenly becomes a rollercoaster ride of high drama, conflict, and rebellion, which tests their love and friendship for one another, and their loyalty to Prabhakar Anand.

Aarakshan is the story of Prabhakar Anand (Amitabh Bachchan), the legendary idealistic principal of a college that he has... Show More

All in all, considering the topic at hand, Aarakshan is still a safe film that takes a loud stand, creatively and theoretically. It has its moments, though disjointed, and could still turn out to be one of the rare cases of simplistic but smart presentation - where the filmmakers show the audience exactly what they want to see. And as many know - being able to predict the climax of a film is not always a bad thing.

Another epic-scale film from Prakash Jha, but does it really deal with the issue?

The biggest threat to a powerful story is its screenplay. The smallest of the mistakes easily grab eyeballs. The strongest possibility of “Aarakshan”, Saif Ali Khan, goes for a comfortable hibernation when the movie could actually deliver its value and bounces back after a hiatus.

Aarakshan is an escapist issue based film that can make a lot of people feel good for about 2 and a half hours but thats about it. And if you are sitting in a recliner that cost you 60 bucks the length doesnt pinch you much.

Aarakshan is, what I call, a bell-curve film. Starts shabbily, reaches a peak around mid-way and ends more shabbily than it started. And yes, the issue is not "quote system", we are talking about our hollow education system here. Only that, that too gets a superfluous treatment.