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Aarakshan - Twitter Reviews

Aarakshan

wogma rating: Watch when on TV (?)
quick review: 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.
Audio review (subscribe):
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[Poster for Aarakshan]

167 tweeters have given Aarakshan an average rating of 2.9/5.0(?)

85 yays
60 nays
22 so-so
  • SuperSheenh: watched the hindi movie Aarakshan, & I have a urge to learn. Everyone MUST watch it. highly recommended !!! never take anything 4 granted!
  • Wrishi_Ghosal: saw the movie aarakshan...started feeling lyk a revolutionary....DUH.. tThe HAnGovER
  • sunnychl: Watched 'Aarakshan'. Not as bad as people say it is. Soha Ali Khan could have done better though. The moustache was unnecessary.
  • implex: Aarakshan a totally confused movie. Great Star Cast. That's it.
  • J_5hr1k4nth: #Aarakshan was an average movie, the emphasis mostly was on the reservation on basis of poverty and not by caste and creed.
  • sjoshipura: #Aarakshan is a gud 1 time watch Excellent performances by @SrBachchan manoj bajpayee ! though the Direction wasnt dat gud !i#HardHitting !
  • VIJAYMOHANDAS: Watched AArakshan and ZNMD, Praksh jha dissapointed me a lot, expected a lot from Prakash jha, I think ZNMD is far better then.......
  • ayushjhunwala: Aarakshan. .rocks N Amit uncle is awesome as usual. .
  • vidhi16: Aarakshan is an awesome movie...I recommend that everyone shld see it..AB has again proven himself
  • vinay_manav: I think that Arakshan movie present strongest message on our education system. Everyone Must watch this movie...... @BigBfanforum
  • axisparashuram: Jha has failed to make his mark in Arakshan like in Apaharan & Rajneeti, weak justification in the script.doing well b'coz of Media hype
  • MissterDspD: Just Watched "Aarakshan" movie in Movie Time Cinemas, a Must watch movie.
  • jaydipdmehta: #aarakshan .. should watch movie .. point well said by prakash zha .. and bachchan at its best again ..
  • SWAPNILSOURAV1: Yesterday i watched Aarakshan-India Vs India,this movie did'nt completely justified the title,1st part was gud but aftr dat script got lost
  • itsmegodfather: Forget the word AArakshan the movie is too good ...
  • saileshchowdary: Arakshan not clear wat director intended to tell but a gud muvie for sure
  • AkkuB: Had to keep my ears double open during Aarakshan. Super high fandu hindi. Hv seen prakash jha do better.
  • rsravissr: seen arakshan once again gr8 sir.........
  • justjayanti: aarakshan rocked!!!!!!!!!!!!!! super! saif, @deepikapadukone prateik,manoj all were super.amitji,as always,brilliant.well done @prakashjha1
  • CaptainToon: Absolutely worth it!! RT @VanDiablo: How's Aarakshan BTW? Can I waste some bandwidth on that?
  • Bhanu025: Watched Aarakshan. Bad movie, and honestly the title should have been on "Coaching class".Why "Aarakshan" used?
  • IshanSaluja: IMO #Aarakshan would've been a way better movie if they'd chosen to go deep with one issue rather than skim a dozen or two.
  • vikrant85rocks: watched arakshan was not brilliant .
  • Devender_143: see your arakshan good movie
  • soumendusanyal: Aarakshan cud hav been beta... If mr.jha cud hav concentrated on 1 topic rader dan havin an multitracks....!!
  • UCS10: arakshan is a very good movie but the main topic does,t describe well
  • SahilBulla: Just saw Arakshan. 99% of my mind was reserved on Not Paying Attention. #truestory
  • durgapal: 'Aarakshan' (CRAP Movie) - nothing to do with reservation but more to do with private coaching centers and state of education in India.
  • shel412: Aarakshan- powerful essaying of roles and a good lesson in social enterprise. This movie is meant for the thinking Indian....
  • arunajain786: #Aarakshan = *yawn*
  • atyanand: Aarakshan is definitely a movie of two halves. First beautifully presents the reality of reservation. Second is about a personal vendetta.
  • SurenMK: #Aarakshan----screenplay let the film down.. watch it for the controversy it created
  • _RKamat: watched aarakshan today.. discontinuity in story but overall a good watch..
  • AV8_6: Aarakshan... Lot of food for thought !!
  • GSHUKLA: Watched Aarakshan- alarming reminder that Indian education needs overhaul, investment and equity!
  • tomato_umlaut: Aarakshan is not what the controversy about it assumed. Good performances by Saif and Amitabh compensate for the episodic story. Watchable
  • djsuketuindia: Happy Indian Independence Day friends. Flag hoisting in the morning was excellent. And then saw #Aarakshan. Very good film :-)
  • foram1011: Below average- aarakshan! Though storyline is good bt da tough hindi language makes a viewer go off to sleep
  • arvind1312: Arakshan an aweosme movie. Bachan sir rocks.. Manjoy bajipai di an awesome job..fantastic movie..enjoyed
  • prachiganeriwal: AARAKSHAN is a must watch pple
  • dedhpase: Aarakshan is a confused movie...not in the same league as some of other prakash jha work..
  • shreytapradhan: watched aarakshan @SrBachchan has dne a HEARTWARMING job..along wid @deepikapadukone n oder cast ..LOVED IT..dats y i love real cinema:)
  • guptasukriti: Aarakshan is such a poorly made film. "QED" ! Ha! #sucks
  • dr_rajnish02: Watched 'aarakshan' it shows what ia happening in country.. Specially movie on business oriented coachings n teachers..
  • Yashkd: AARAKSHAN WHAT A MOVIE ! SUPERB WORK BY @SrBachchan ,HATS OFF TO YOU......
  • SumanGtm_: Dr. Prabhakar Anand and his Siddhanta....#Aarakshan is a good Movie.....herda hunchha ...:)
  • paavani: Aarakshan is not as bad as i heard. But i didnt get the solution. As a movie you can watch. 2.5* #review
  • Swapnil_Patil: Aarakshan is slow, 2 much of fundas, lack of firm stand on real issue n in the end wats the msg "Paid or Free..Coaching classes r cmplsry"!!
  • md_abadullah: I request PRAKASH JHA to make AARAKSHAN kind of movie again nd again
  • HARSHAY8: Watched aarakshan quite neatly done justifies everyones stand kudos taem aarakshan
  • drkarmarkar: Saw Aarakshan yestd....if at all it is Pro-aarakshan. Worth a watch. An average depiction of d current Educatn Scenario.
  • harshvictor: Aarakshan not a bad movie, but less magic thn Raajneeti :राजनीति.
  • debashishnitdgp: #justwatched Aarakshan .... Second half diverts frm d subject but still worth a watch .... AB was good as usual !!
  • sumanjoshi2: seen movie arakshan everyone must watch it.
  • murtukool: Music weak but still muvie is worth a watch :-) :-) i wuld go 3/5 #aarakshan @anbujohn
  • supriyabulbul: AARAKSHAN............grrrrr wht a thakau movie........bt hd a nic nap in d HALL :P
  • sanayamistry: Saw Aarakshan.. Nice film with powerful dialogues... Amitabh Sir's n Saif's performances were awesome :)
  • snigdha_s: jst watchd aarakshan.. impressive muvy.. very fine and theatricl perfrmanc by Sri Amitabh Bachan...
  • HarikaVankadara: aarakshan - a movie that sure serves food for thought. Great movie, praiseworthy script, even if the conclusion is unrealistic...
  • Greyindecision: Slow but nice... It's not exactly about aarakshan. It's a lot of other things. http://bit.ly/pBF06n @GetGlue #Aarakshan
  • _RahulB: Watched "Aarakshan". For me, it will go down as one of the finest films of 2011. Saif Ali Khan is a lovely actor.
  • im_adi: #aarakshan Has happened. And im feeling like cheated.
  • scprabhakar: Maine aaj arakshan dekhi,behad umda kism ki filam hain. mujhe prabhker anand nahi santosh prabhaker dikhai de raha tha.
  • tirth689: did i like aarakshan..yuss! wud i watch it ever again..nooo! #IMOpenCategory:P
  • sanjiv_123: #Aarakshan superb movie.....ofcourse great performance by the baap of bollywood amitji
  • sagarnautiyal: #Aarakshan....not that great movie....nothing to do with aarakshan....but One man show by Sir Amitabh Bacchan #killer acting
  • ManishSaryal: watched "Aarakshan" yesterday- a wonderful movie- what teacher and teaching really means in India- am impressed.
  • bindaas_lol: Watched Aarakshan today. Not all that great!
  • SudhishKamath: Why Aarakshan must be watched. http://wp.me/p9Wkm-oT Updated review of the film that many critics will not like ;) May the trolling begin! :D
  • willgetback: AARAKSHAN misses the point completely. To build a future, even in today's India, grades are the least important thing.
  • barathrajamani: watched AARAKSHAN.. went from bannerghatta road to yeshwanthpur to watch it with ABB friends.. good movie but name did not suit though!
  • miteshpai: aarakshan awesome movie must watch !!!
  • Gunjan47: 2.Why I liked Aarakshan-for all children from all economic strata.3. Hv had kids being pulled out of my class- reason parents uncomfortable
  • dharmeshparate: Saw arakshan wonderfull movie Amitabh's energy appropriately portrayed First half could have been tackled differently It appeared louder
  • anoopthomast: Please dont watch the second half of Aarakshan
  • alok038: the coaching criteria which grab indian students is a slow poision "paid business without guarantee". AARAKSHAN must watch movie..
  • ErraticTravesty: Aarakshan lacked the essence of its title. The movie showed many things except the reservation issues. Mediocre!
  • ankur228: Just watched AARAKSHAN. Awesome muvie !! Whole muvie was shot at my college !!
  • amolramning: #ARAKSHAN a nice film for 2days generation. such facilities should be provided by the government 4 economically backword & tallent students
  • janhaviM: in aarakshan the issue of reservation was spoken about for a max of 15mins!the rest of the movie made absolutely no sense!
  • faizankhan383: Watched arakshan, every thing is reserved!bollywood is beyond reserved, great movie by prakash jha and as always manoj is movie stealer
  • Gaali_Leo: Aarakshan is worst than the most boring lectures I've ever attended in college. Total chutiya movie.
  • gauravgupta: Aarakshan is only about aarakshan till the interval. After that it becomes more of "tabela bachao". My rating- 0/5
  • sneha_agrawal: AARAKSHAN - one beautifully crafted movie catering to the need of the hour i.e. revival of Indian education (cont) http://tl.gd/cdq8ia
  • movingahead: Arakshan is a brilliant movie. Nobody gets the Hindi heartland better than Prakash Jha and @SrBachchan is on fire again - one of his best.
  • debzzone: #Aarakshan is one of the best movies this year. Excellent performances by the star cast. Yet another hard hitting movie from Prakash Jha.
  • VidhiChadha: saw arakshan today. horrible movie. the concept was good except the direction sucked! it was way dramatic and over the top.
  • saavvvy: Whoaaaa!!! The best inspiration I could recv just a day before I start taking classes! Aarakshan----- a must watch :)
  • MadhavMatters: Arakshan is a super yuck movie
  • epic_n00b: Aarakshan: Ratings 1.5/5,movie is 30% time wasted in BS of quota system & 70% wasted in Amitabh vs Manoj Bajpai fight of commercial classes
  • sinha_dheeraj: Saw Aarakshan...Nice movie....Why can't we hv a Service Cadre for Teachers (ITS) like IAS, IPS , IFS etc. Does the govt think Education imp!
  • saurabhgurwara: Yeah yeah it was inspiring and thought-provoking, but will someone tell me why the hell it was AARAKSHAN?? name not justified...
  • van25789: Hmmm aarakshan is avg movie
  • ankitavg: Saw aarakshan today..complete waste of time n money...
  • indolianeeraj: A confused script,unimpressive direction by mr. Jha,n a couple of poor performances of by everybody except bachhan sahab!#arakshan
  • hrkeni: #Aarakshan - How to NOT handle a sensitive issue and turn it into a melodramatic farce.
  • TheBOON4all: Did u like it ?? I dint in fact i hated d movie RT @M_I_N_T_Y: @TheBOON4all its was good.!!saw arakshan!
  • SidPriya: Aarakshan is a wonderful movie, because it's bold n unbiased, but the plot was soon lost to free edu. vs. paid edu. - a whole new debate.
  • M__Alive: Movie review Aarakshan-subject was good but the treatment of movie was very dramatic cld have been more realistic so *** stars to the movie.
  • puniitthakker: AARAKSHAN-One of the best movies which describes Current Politics And Class Apart acting by @SrBachchan .A must watch Movie for Every Indian
  • bhargava_fuhrer: INDEPENDENCE DAY SPECIAL- AARAKSHAN A SUPERB MOVIE FROM PRAKASH JHA!! SUPERB STORY,DIALOGUES & SCREENPLAY BY PRAKASH JHA
  • sakshaysdhadwal: aarakshan... A must watch... :-) (@ Fun Cinemas) http://4sq.com/okZS2u
  • anuvesh16: Todae i watched movie 'Arakshan' ... quite disappointing
  • nairutee: good performances but content strictly OK! #aarakshan
  • a_b_h_i_shek: "AARAKSHAN" truly an eye opener for all those who believe in commercialization of education. A must Watch....!
  • umeshranglani: Aarakshan is such a fucking bore !!! Even deepika isn't helping!
  • akinak87: Just watched 'Aarakshan', still not clear what to make of the movie. Except that Prateik cannot pull off as a Bhopali.
  • harishba: Aarakshan a good thought provoking movie, I could relate the first part of the movie with my article on Casteism - ...: http://goo.gl/ti2Zn
  • 40ankit: Nice film aarakshan..
  • rituladitya: Aarakshan upsets ovr xpectation..its somethin else than its image ws created..anyway did ma hattrick...tbc..
  • awsomehj: saw aarakshan today.. perfect movie for independence day :)
  • HarshalBhandare: Aarakshan:Such a good subject but wasted in clueless direction & script. Surprised how saif accepted this role for couple of dialogues.
  • biswaprakash01: u have done a speachless performance in ARAKSHAN, movie was also superb..mindblowing..@deepikapadukone
  • drrohanjain: prakash jha should have been more bold to show the truth of aarakshan...!!
  • deepikah: Aarakshan has totally lost the plot after interval. *yawn*
  • pkkaushik2: Aarakshan not Worth of hike provided !
  • aishwaryaxx: #Aarakshan ♥ To hell with all the drama, I loved the movie. A. MUST. WATCH. :)
  • varungupta984: Yes aarakshan sucks
  • WorstHandle: BTW watched Arakshan today. The film pussied out of focusing on the issue, changed the course of the story in the second part.
  • __Deep___: Aarakshan - Decent Movie... Amitabh, Saif & Manoj Bajpayee - Killer acting..
  • khadijaejaz: Aarakshan: more about coaching classes than reservations, too rushed a first act, not enough character development, but worth a watch.
  • mayankgupta86: #aarakshan is a bad movie, big b actually gav half n hour coaching in the movie, damn my bloody lectures wer better not tht #boring
  • priyank2685: had hema malini not intervened d movie aarakshan wud hve nvr ended.. thank u hemaji :-)
  • sachinbhandary: Aarakshan is decent cinema but not worth all the furore, it does not even compel you to think about this issue which could shape our future.
  • Finelychopped: Can I sue the Arakshan makers for using my initials? And boring us to death?
  • TheVishnuReddy: I wondered why they had another "A" in "Aarakshan", A for Awesomeness!!!
  • tailing2ideas: aarakshan has been a damp squid
  • shanaysbafna: #Aarakshan is the best film of 2011 till now. #AbsolutelyBrilliant !!!
  • Ankit_thesp: Aarakshan..can't believe it comes from the superb combo of Prakash Jha+Anjum Rajabali Sir..I ws expectin much better.
  • rajsinghsuri: Aarakshan is not a movie, but a mirror!!!
  • mayureshnirhali: Arakshan - the worst movie of Prakash Jha. Only @SrBachchan does his bit.
  • rchauhan110: Aarakshan awesome movie,,
  • saumyakejriwal: Aarakshan worth a watch ...loved amit sir performance
  • Preitymishra: 'Aarakshan' is just a headache.
  • qosmioamit: Aarakshan is a brilliantly scripted movie about reservation in Indian educational institutions. A spectacular performance by @SrBachchan
  • haps4u: saw aarakshan yesterday...its a beautiful movie..with a great performance by Mr AMITABH BACHCHAN......
  • JWalia: Couldn't agree more! RT @nidhibains: #aarakshan is off subject and Prateik's acting is horrible.
  • imansooor: Aarakshan 3/5
  • vitalstreets: Aarakshan Is One Of the best movie of this year.... http://lnk.ms/RRTCB
  • KalParmar81: Aarakshan is a superb film. Loved it.
  • hanariaz: But the ending was a flop, remedial education isn't enough. We need to redo the education system entirely #equality #aarakshan #bollywood
  • zoran24x7: He has absolutely out done himself & his previous works in the process of tackling such a bold subject like #Reservation... #Aarakshan...!!!
  • sehrishshaban: Watched Aarakshan- super long but good!
  • raviwarrier: I think @PrakashJha1 forgot what he was making. More a movie on education corruption than reservation/quota system. Aarakshan - 5.5/10
  • chitraparmar: Arakshan was better than its reviews ............
  • dagurcs: Thanks to team of Prakash Jha, Sr.Bacchan,F.A.Nadiadwala,Saif,D.Padukone,M.Bajpayee,Prateik Babbar and S.E.loy 4 d movie AARAKSHAN,
  • Vsc33Pinku: saw ARAKSHAN fantastic story ITS / good salary to teachers is required. Education needs Urgent & Immediate Reforms.
  • korr_06: Finally watched aarakshan, to my disappointment the title of the mov had nothing to with the same!! Just another Bollywood way of makin mov!
  • Amritjoardar: Watched Aarakshan yesterday, it was a gud film. Saif deepika relation worked in the movie
  • Blood_Relative: #Aarakshan is incredible! Congrats to the entire team behind this extraordinary film! #BigB #DeepikaChopra #SaifAliKhan #bollywood #4EVA
  • kritikaramani: Aarakshan - mega confooshion movie
  • pandyasheetal: Saw aarakshan.. Craftly made.. But lil slow.. The 1000s close-up of saif n deepika were not needed..
  • maximumyum: The other day the whole greater family had gone to see Aarakshan. The movie was good in the first half and then sort of whittled away
  • krutika_patel: Aarakshan- D Ultimate movie.........salute to Amitabh...!!!!!!!!!
  • superravs: so many stars in aarakshan doin nothn except bigB n manoj bajpai...m really depressed bt prakshjha..he is goin vishal bhradwaj way.
  • BreakingViews4u: 'Tution centres' was mr apt a name than 'Aarakshan' - Prakash Jha's shrewed way of publicizing d movie back fires ths time, 2/5
  • anshkmr72: ysterday i sw aarakshan....... awesome movie.......
  • chipku_chamiya: Arakshan-aaaaahhhh my brain hurts!!
  • JeetenSheth: Aarakshan is a BS movie!! Still wondering whats the agenda!!
  • monil12: with the hot topic like reservation, Prakash Jha failed this time to prove the pt in #aarakshan with loosely based story line & reality
  • vikramlalvani: watched aarakshan this weekend .it was like 2 different films in 1. 1st half on reservation and 2nd half on private tutions- missed the plot
  • nalinv: Watched Aarakshan yesterday.Great script in 1st half, 2nd half a let down. Saif and Prateik a waste. @srbacchan and Manoj Bajpai Superb.7/10
  • debopam_biswas: AARAKSHAN...A very good and very much required concept by Prakash jha.These days education is becoming a commodity day by day.....
  • KT_3D: how much in enough?? Aarakshan the first part is worth 5stars but the second part not so much solid acting, solid dialogues, worth one watch
  • HiDisIsLavanya: aarakshan is a nice movie
  • moharerprakash: watched AARAKSHAN last night. not impressed at all. performances were superb but d vision was blurred. .
  • ShivAroor: If the Govt *really* wants to subdue these #Lokpal mobs, it shld consider rounding them up & subjecting thm to a pvt screening of #Aarakshan

Aarakshan - Movie Details

Aarakshan - Trailer

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Aarakshan - All reviews summary

External Reviews

48 reviewers have given Aarakshan an average rating of 2.0/5.0. 8 yays, 18 nays, 22 so-so. See all external reviews »

Twitter Reviews

On twitter, 167 twitterers have given Aarakshan an average rating of 2.9/5.0. 85 yays, 60 nays, 22 so-so. See all tweets »

Readers' Ratings

8 readers have given Aarakshan an average rating of 3/5.0. 5 yays, 2 nays, 1 so-so. See all reader reviews »

Comments (34)

kapil :

Promos are looking good. Can turn out to be an engaging political drama. Barring deepika, star cast looks good. Iam looking forward to how it is received in UP, the land of Behenji. Instead of Aarakhshan I am having more expectations from Mausam. It is looking like an honest movie by the get-up of the cast. And there's Pankaj Kapur as the director.

meetu:

@Kapil oh yeah! Mausam is certainly something i'm looking forward to. Have always enjoyed Pankaj Kapur's work. Fingers crossed.

Btw, I read somewhere that Prakash Jha refused to have a special screening of Aarakshan for politicians. Made me smile!

Bollywood movie reviews:

Waiting to watch Aarakshan. Good concept. I love the trailer. Thanks for the details of the movie.

moviebhakt:

Why Deepika Padukone??? Haven't we had enough of her already???

meetu:

@moviebhakt apparently not!

Rahul:

Really looking forward to this movie.

rahul:

Hi all, i wabt to know your view on this topic that Why Political gimmick happening around the movie 'Aarakshan' - Is it justified in democracy? Pls share your view on this topic on this link- http://sawaal.ibibo.com/movies/political-gimmick-happening-around-movie-aarakshan-justified-democracy-1690658.html

Rahul:

Taran Adarsh's review of Aarakshan - http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movies/review/14307/index.html

lost in confusion:

"I was looking forward to a deeper understanding of the issue, I got songs."
Understanding won't help any (let alone the harm this kind of movies do in its to succeed via publicity); songs might. And I was kinda surprised when I visited this site a few days back and found out that you're looking forward to it.

"I was told an amazing cast will put up the two sides of the issue out on the big screen, they just came in and went out (just like the issues) with no flow and justifications."

Now, do you believe everything you're told? Besides, in this case, we even had the example of Rajneeti (which also boasted of a powerful cast and...) as an alarming alert in front of us, didn't we?

"I was promised a film that will shake up the sleeping common man into action, but I got a solution that was no better than what the villains of the film were upto."
Hope you're awake now and having a good time. But still keep dreaming. That's honestly better than having nightmares.

guddu:

This time your conclusion remark went straight above your review, i guess the movie really tested your patience to a such extent that your still having the hangover on our shoulders. As usual your review is very subjective and clear Meetu . I think the caste conscious will really be agitated now as the makers used their social prejudice to gain publicity to such a meaningless film .

meetu:

@Rahul Now, what can I say? :)

@lost_in_confusion I want to like every movie I watch. What to do?

@guddu "went straight above your review" meaning?

lost in confusion:

@meetu: yeah, I can understand it from the viewpoint of a professional movie reviewer. Some movies make me wonder how you people can sit throughout its runtime. BTW, what's the reason of skipping 404? Any special reason besides it being not your cup of tea which, I take for granted, must hold true for lots of movies you *need* to watch?

TimELiebe:

meetu - I haven't seen this movie, and given this review and the responses I'm not likely to. It sounds like it's bent over so far backwards to be "fair" that it ends up refusing to take a side.

A pity, because I like the star cast a great deal - maybe that's the problem? Any movie that stars Amitabh Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone is going to be an expensive undertaking, so if it's too controversial it'll get banned and the producers won't make its money back - oh wait, that happened anyway, didn't it?

It would have been better if the film could have been produced inexpensively, and taken a definitive stance on privatized education or how class/caste relates to students' chances to go to college and get ahead in the world, rather than what sounds like "false equivalance" that ends up saying nothing more than "ain't that a shame?". If Messrs. Bachchan and S.A. Khan and Ms. Padukone wanted to lend it their support, they could have volunteered their time to do cameos and help in the publicity.

Off-Topic Question: How do you properly address the Crown Prince of two satrapies when he's in his "Movie Star" mode? I find myself as confuzzled as when I'm talking about Jamie Lee Curtis - is it "Ms. Curtis", "Mrs. Guest", or "The Baroness Haden-Guest"?

meetu:

@lost_in_confusion Why not my cup of tea? I wanted to watch it, but I believe there were 4 releases that week and I had gotten my wisdom tooth extracted, so was in - let's just call it - PAIN. I do intend to review it when it comes on TV.

@TimELiebe Actually, it isn't about taking a side, the only bit in the film I liked was the part where the two sides were making their points.

About addressing stars...ha ha ha ha! I had this huge problem when I started reviewing. How can i just call Amitabh Bachchan, Amitabh Bachchan...if nothing else, at least add a "ji", i thought. But, now I'm just used to it, I guess. They are human beings, no? :P

Rahul:

Sigh ... one more movie that I won't have to bother about hunting on the torrents. And before I get chastised, no Bollywood movie releases where I live. :)

TimELiebe:

meetu - my brother sent around a link to a HUFFINGTON POST article about the controversy surrounding this movie. He is of the impression that the film is calling for the eradication of "education quotas" - which he's in favor of, since it's sort of like Affirmative Action over here in the US and he thinks anybody not White and Male are stealing his fellow White Men's jobs! (::sigh:: I'm sure every family has members a lot like him. Certainly most American families do - if it's not the majority of the family!)

Is Amibabh Bachchan's teacher fighting to aid upper-caste students over "quotas" like my brother thinks, or is he fighting that it doesn't give enough educationally-worthy lower-caste students a break...?

Rahul - join the club. In our city, with a large enough Central Asian population to support three Indian groceries that I know of to shop at (I'm trying to teach myself to cook some of the more popular Indian dishes over here from scratch), there's one theatre that plays Bollywood movies - one showing on Sunday afternoon every couple of months.

Do you have access to Netflix where you live? That's where we rent most of our Bollywood movies (they have a large selection). That way, at least you know you're not picking up some nasty malware hitchhikers along w/the movie you're torrenting....

TimELiebe:

Sorry - that link is .

TimELiebe:

::groan:: Once more (and meetu - feel free to delete that last post):

The link is http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/12/aarakshan-bollywood-film_n_925166.html?icid=maing-grid10%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl3%7Csec3_lnk2%7C85989 .

vivek:

dear all. pl may like to know that among many supporting actors from bhopal i have also acted in the Aarakshan( 2nd inerviewer in first scene) so for me even with many flaws movies gave me some space to stand on. thanx jha sahab.
same is the feeling of my wife Jyoti who had played a small roole of principal opf muniya.

Shashank:

I think that Reservation is still not the right way to help the so called backward castes because having different cutoffs for a particular community is still unfair.For eg
The cut off for the top engeniering college in mumbai-95/200 in cet(FOR RESERVED) 150/200(GENERAL).Also some friends of mine also gloated in front of me last year in ssc that we dont have to study because we have reservation and all that and their familiees are well to do since they can attend expensive coaching clases so why have reservation for them?
AS far the commercialisation of education is concerned I would like to quote vinod sharma from times now debate "Why there is team anna?Because the government is not doing their job properly" Similarly i want to say "Why we have coaching classes ?Because schools are not doing their job properly" just like to make one point as a SSC student who has just passed last year that whatever marks I got was because of the coaching classes ,even if they did it for money they still the efforts they took were visibleand appreciable and also we were free to call them on our mobile to clarify our doubts.On t he other hand our school did only around 30 percent of our portion and the rest were left for homework or for self study.
Thanks for listening to my long tirade but I just wanted to tell a few points to everyone.

kapil:

This is just like one of those mindless shahrukh movies with just one difference that before the release it was portrayed as one of those meaningful movies. I'm sure that I won't be watching any prakash jha movie from now on. In the evening I had watched 'the lives of others ', a German movie, and fell in love with it. But, at night, because of friends, I had to go and waste my money on this nonsense. Fitst half was so ridiculous that I could keep myself from taking a good nap. But, kept myself awake after that just to see how bad it can get and to write a comment here.
@meetu, just like I also found it somewhat engaging just after half time, but then again it fell through pretty quickly. Story was so much like 80's and direction was just pathetic. Those people who put so much effort in banning this movie must be scratching their heads now. I really feel sorry for them ;) . It proves further that those people are really headless chickens :) . Should have totally gone for 'I am kalam', but you know you can't brainwash 5 people in half an hour ;) I am not that much expert.
Now looking forward to 'mausam ' and 'not a love story ' has also got some potential. After all, I am a ramu fan.

guddu:

I was talking about the conclusion remark that critics usually add after completng their reviews just as a tagline . This time I felt you wrote it above your review"
The huh!? expression I've carried ever since the film ended is now expanded into a full question - If just the title of a film can cause an outrage big enough for the film to be banned in some areas of the country, what will happen if the film actually ends up being about the issue it is named after? We'll have to wait for another film to find out.
Unless, of cours". I think this should have been written at the end , it went sort of displaced.

Aarak shit:

Being a commercial film, it obviously cannot end up pissing off either the pro reservation or anti reservation camp. This country is filled with them. So I do not know why the reviewer is lamenting the lameness of the film. Did you really think that the film would address such a controversial topic honestly and in a straightforward way and that too with so much money spent on it? And that is why the director and the screenwriter neatly steered the story into another direction, a direction which has raked in a lot of money recently, think Three Idiots! Commercialisation of Education, vs Idealistic education, is a sure fire feel good topic, and one that will not ruffle any feathers. Given that pragmatism, I thought the movie was pretty decent, with a few scenes namely that of Amitabh and daughter and mother in the hotel being well written and well acted. The feel good factor would obviously be there, and all things would end well, it cannot be anything else in the commercial world. Do you really think that the audience in a multiplex is interested in a serious, controversial, and heavy weight film and that too with big stars? Really funny, must say for thinking such thoughts. Barring the first forty minutes or so, the film is pretty engaging using the very old familiar element of commercial cinema, the heroic idealist pitted against a villainous schemer. This film will definitely do well at the box office and that is what I am sure works.

TimELiebe:

guddu - apparently the controversy is over characters using racially-loaded terms. My friends in The All-American Bollywood Movie Night group were sending links around to each other about it, since it (amazingly!) got noticed by the Western media:

http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/08/11/idINIndia-58741320110811

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-14501491

@Aarak - given the way the stars and director are carrying on, you'd think they believed this would be the first movie to win the Nobel Prize! Even subtracting 95% of that for film industry BS (and yeah, that's as trans-national as Coca-Cola or anime), it's clear Amitabh Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone and Prakash Jha thought they had done something more significant than a mildly-political melodrama about a fairly non-controversial topic.

Aarak shit:

@Tim, well, what can one say, all "artists" suffer from an inflated sense of their own worth and work, but well that is true for most of us too!Prakash Jha's earlier films, before he went commercial were quite hardhitting; you should see Damul made sometime in the 80's. Even Ganga Jal was pretty good; with Ajay Devgan as the cop (he too was a star) in the heartlands of Bihar. So maybe what is really important is the fact, that what is now acceptable in commercial cinema, is what would be pretty tame and non offensive. The space that commercial cinema offered in the 80's or even till the late 90's for making a certain type of hardhitting film seems to have vanished, possibly coinciding with the birth of the multiplex! Now it is all candy and cream, and rich dudes trying to come of age in Spain or other cool locations!

guddu:

Tim i wasn't talking about racially overloaded terms controversy which made your western friends so exciting . The movie is more of an institutional racism but it never showcased the plight of SC/ST people in modern India for which the movie went banned in most of the states. I feel pity for those Politicians who became the victim of this kind of shameless marketing strategy .

Rema Anand:

Totally agree with the review meetu.
The movie needed some crisp editing - the songs were unnecessary, keeps popping out from nowhere and they are not even hummable.
The issue being debatable, there is no need for the director to take a stand - but we do expect it to be portrayed properly. Except for that one scene of debate between saif and prateek the whole reservation issue is swept under the carpet. It is as if Jha has bitten off too much than he can chew.. A confused director, archaic scenes ( I cringed through that interview scene) cliched climax over-the-board portrayals ( saif, bajpaye ; and I dont mean overacting but the character sketch)... sufficient stuff to bring down the movie. If u do sit through it, it is due to a decent first half and an earnest amitabh who manages to deliver despite everything.
Being a teacher, I couldnt overlook some aspects. If at all Jha wanted to show commercialisation of education - just berating coaching classes wont do. Wherever there is demand and supply the market will exist! What is needed is to stop unfair trade practices in education - could have shown paper leakages through coaching classes for instance. Manoj bajpayes character shapes up initially in the right manner but does an overdive in the end. Although you get to see unscrupulous people heading institutions, a subtle approach would have been more realistic.
Finally, if everyone starts teaching for free, how do they earn their bread???
Teachers too need to earn a living - but should not be acc to the maxim 'any which way you can'!!

Shashank:

@Rema-Yes I completely agree with you on teachers having to earn bread for themselves and as far I know I have attended coaching classes last year but the classes never gave me "leaked" papers so that was an unfair allegations.
Also if you are school teacher let me just inform you why students attend coaching classes because the teaching in schools sucks.

Aarak shit:

@Shashank, yes, I agree completely the teachers suck and that is not at only the school level but at all levels. I can hardly remember two teachers whom I respected throughout my entire educational experience!
@Rema, and what is realism? Is it like real life? Jha is telling a story, and obviously he is not making a documentary and even documentaries are not "realistic"18. In a story you need to have strong emotional twists and turns, people watch films so that the "story" moves them. In this case, it may not have "moved" you, but it may have other people. Ditto with the songs.

meetu:

@TimeLiebe Prabhakar Anand (Amitabh Bachchan) is saying everyone is entitled to "proper" education - not the education that lets you score well but leaves you clueless about the concepts.
The rich can get it with facilities, the poor should have an avenue where they can educated themselves from within their means. And in that, the teachers should recognize they are in a noble profession and shouldn't make a business out of education.

(the link is still not working)

@vivek that's awesome!!

@Shashank I totally sympathize with your situation. What the movie was against and is true in real life too is - that the teachers manipulate in such a manner that children have to go to coaching classes. Either they are school teachers and don't teach "properly" in schools or they teach only in coaching classes because that is more lucrative.

@kapil ow! that's too bad that you had to watch the movie forcibly. Also I'm willing to bet the people who banned this movie haven't watched it at all!

meetu:

@guddu wow! you will not believe how much time I spent in considering whether that should be the first para or the last!!

@Aarak oh well, one can hope, no? but i disagree with the bit about multiplex cinema vs hardhitting films. I dont;t hink the multiplex audience is averse to films that make a point. I think the makesrs just got this one all wrong.

@Rema like! And agree.

deepu:

Aarakshan is a fabulous movie.this movie show the importance of reservation .we will request each and every body to see the movie in watch-hindi-movies

deepu:

Aarakshan is a fabulous movie.this movie show the importance of reservation .we will request each and every body to see the movie in watch-hindi-movies

Rema Anand:

@shashank and @ Aarak- leaked papers linked to coaching classes is not an unfair allegation - just google, u will come to know - the latest being AIEEE exam papers this year.
Yes, I am a teacher - earlier in Jr college and now for XI XII in schools - it is sad that neither of u had experienced good teaching; a warm and fruitful student-teacher interaction is a lifetime experience! I have had such - as a student as well as a teacher. Not all teachers/ teaching sucks...Just as not all coaching classes are bad...everywhere we have the good, the bad and the ugly.
And Aarak, 'strong emotional twist' doesnt have to be in the form of a principal who acts as if he has lost his marbles that too in full view of the public and media!!!
HAPPY TEACHERS DAY!!!!

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