Rating : 3.6/5
Genre : Drama
Year : 2019
Running time : 2 hours 47 minutes
Director : Vikas Bahl
Cast : Hrithik Roshan, Sadhana singh, Pankaj Tripathi, Aditya Srivastav, Mrunal Thakur, Amit Sadh, Nandish Singh
Kid rating : G
Super 30, as you know, is based on the real life educational program started by Anand Kumar, who sought to educate 30 underprivileged kids and prepare them to sit for and pass the IIT JEE. The program has been very successful and the film tells us of how it started. I’m not sure how much of the film has been “dramatized” to make an impact but it does make a moving story, told with heart, and is a good watch.
Anand Kumar (Hrithik Roshan) comes from an impoverished background. When he joins an IIT-prep institute as a teacher, he realizes the plight of motivated students who are unable to afford the high price tag the coaching institute demands. The unfairness of it all strikes home. He ropes in his brother (Nandish Singh) and mother (Sadhana Singh) and starts his own free institute to coach poor students for the IIT JEE, under the belief that “Raja ka beta raja nahin banega” – the son of the king will be the king no more; he will be king who is worthy of ascending the throne.
For starters Super 30 is a classic underdog story, so the premise is pretty crowd-pleasing. Anand as a protagonist is almost powerless – he has neither money nor clout. His enemies (Aditya Srivastav as coaching institute owner Lallan Singh) are powerful, capable and willing to employ underhand tactics when words will not work. All Anand has is his belief in the rightness of his work, and the will to succeed.
Anand’s students come from poverty-stricken backgrounds and are beset with feelings of inadequacy and feel like imposters demanding an education, while the English-speaking rich kids of the other institutes poke fun at them for their clothes, language and behavior. Indeed, director Bahl (Queen, Chillar Party) has shown the class divide very well. It is an enormous chasm which Anand encourages his students to cross – the crossing is hard and movingly portrayed.
Super 30 is a journey, from the rocky start to the successful finish. The end is known of course, but the film makes the journey interesting. Kudos to Hrithik Roshan who turns in an amazing performance. While I still think that he is too pretty for the role, despite efforts to de-glamorise him, this is probably one of the best performances of his career.
It was lovely seeing yesteryear actress Sadhana Singh as Anand’s mother. Pankaj Tripathi (who seems to be in every film – not that I’m complaining) as the spineless Minister and Srivastav as the wily Lallan Singh make a mark on the film. Mrunal Thakur makes an impressive Bollywood debut and I look forward to seeing her in the upcoming Batla House.
Recommended.
Kidwise: Some scenes of violence although the film is primarily family-friendly and clean.
