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Aarakshan

Aarakshan (2011)

August. 12,2011
|
6.2
| Drama Thriller

The decision by India's supreme court to establish caste-based reservations for jobs in education causes conflict between a teacher and his mentor.

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dramit-vmmc
2011/08/12

movie lost track in the 2nd half. it was a movie about aarakshan which was truly portrayed in the initial part of the movie but lost its track in the 2nd part. Aarakshan follows the same rules of the games, where the filmmaker attempts to take an incisive look at India's policy of reservation and its impact on the Indian education system. At least that's the issue he begins with and focuses on in the first half of the film.As long as the film concentrates on the key concern, it is full of high drama, with powerful encounters between the prime players.As a film on the issue of reservation, Aarakshan was rocking till the first half. But as an omnibus on the travails of India's education system, it flounders into no-man's land. Watch it for the intermittent high drama and the gritty performances, scattered as they are

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Ajit Tiwari
2011/08/13

I expected a well researched movie about the Aarakshan from Mr Prakash Jha after Raajneeti but it's not about reservation as story was lost in the very first 30 minutes and never found again.It digs into the decayed foundation of educational system. How the coaching system has affected, commercialized and immersed in India. Amitabh Bacchan gives a powerhouse performance, his on screen presence is enigmatic and dialog delivery is Eminent. Saif Ali Khan is good but not convincing as a dalit with muscular body. Deepika padukone has done a nice job. Prateik Babbar has guts to be a good actor in near future.Manoj Bajpai is fabulous as rival and greedy human being but his role has gone too far as a villain. Rest of the cast has done fantastic job.Prakash Jha chose very sensitive issue but could not elaborate it, despite all the controversy this movie is not going to be big hit.

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Vikas SS
2011/08/14

Prakash Jha has had a track record in making movies like 'Gangajal', 'Rajneeti' among others that are hard hitting and have got something to do with issues that make news. His latest is a movie whose title 'Aarakshan' suggests that it has something to do with caste-based reservations in India, an issue that raised a storm about five years ago. If the promos were to be believed, Jha had a winner in hand. But, in reality, the title is a misnomer as the principal plot in the story seems to deal with commercialization of education which is portrayed to be somehow strangely linked to reservation. Also, while this was a burning issue following the Supreme Court that was discussed in the movie, it may not have as many takers today. So, what's the story? Prabhakar Anand (Bachchan) is the principled Principal of a prestigious private college in Bhopal who treats all his students equally. He coaches weaker students in his verandah for free and the classes allow enough opportunity for his favorite pupil Deepak Kumar (Saif Ali Khan) to romance his daughter Poorbi (Deepika Padukone). Sushanth Seth (Prateik) also has his eyes on Poorbi. When the reservation issue heats up, people are divided along caste lines and suddenly the relations between them are strained. Anand has his adversary in Mithilesh Singh (Manoj Bajpai) whose commercial coaching classes clash with his principles. A twist of events puts Prabhakar Anand's beliefs to the test. And in the meantime, the film loses its way completely on what it wants to talk about. The very fact that caste inequality persists even decades after independence is shameful. But, it is sad to see that a sensitive issue has been used only to promote the movie. Well, the movie does not take sides; whether pro-reservation or anti-reservation since it would not have been without commercial repercussions. Obviously the title and some provocative language were meant to only rake in the moolah. On education its commercialization, if Prakash Jha wants people to believe that the proliferation of coaching classes has its origins in the nation's reservation policy, he has definitely lost the plot. As a result, what you get it a 'Baghban'esque lengthy film that seems to go nowhere. It has lectures on principles, conniving villains, treacherous friends and some kind hearted souls who attempt to engage you with some drama. To its credit, its actors do a good job. Amitabh Bachchan successfully plays the idealistic disciplinarian and a committed teacher who is complemented by Saif Ali Khan as the feisty youngster working his way though a biased system and Manoj Bajpai, as usual is a bankable actor to play the villain. As usual, Deepika Padukone sleepwalks through her role and the script didn't have much in store for Prateek. I'd recommend that you let this one pass. It neither has a consistent storyline nor memorable songs nor a tight script. So, don't reserve your seats for Aarakshan!

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cafemac
2011/08/15

this movie was not as it has the title, but it deals with serious issue with the present education system, yes, it pin point towards the private tutor which mostly the famous and popular professor and lecturer who should give the devotion to their respective colleges, but instead of that they are much interested in earning extra bucks via devoting maximum time their private coaching classes it also shows, that the politician still are not with people, they only move with their need in the name of caste and classes. Movie do not had strong script, dialogs but still teaches a valuable lesson, we should not drag education into politics, every people deserve a better education rights, a eye opener for education department, to increase their education standards

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