Paathshala
Encyclopedia
Paathshaala is a 2010 Bollywood
film that stars Ayesha Takia
, Ali Haji and Nana Patekar
and is directed by Milind Ukey. Shahid Kapoor
makes an extended cameo. The film revolves around children set in a school campus. It comments on the Indian education system and its shortcomings. Kapoor plays an English and music teacher in the film. It is inspired by the Marathi film
Shaala, also directed by Milind Ukey. The film opened on 16 April 2010 to mixed reviews.
) joining Saraswati Vidya Mandir school, situated in the Mirpurkhas suburbs. He strikes instant rapport with students and teachers alike.
When Rahul Udyawar unifies the teachers (Ayesha Takia
, Sushant Singh
) against the atrocities of Cadet college sanghar management, the Principal Aditya Sahay (Nana Patekar
) defends the management decision. This comes as a shocker to the teachers as Mr. Sahay is known for his dedication as an educator for the last 32 years which has built the school's high reputation. The situation becomes graver as school management becomes overambitious with its growth and involves media planners in the extracurricular activities. This demands the involvement of students in TV reality shows and many other media PR activities used for building up the school image in public which starts reflecting on the students' stress levels. The pressure on young minds increases incredibly, leading to unexpected and grim consequences.
Caught in the web of commercialization, the school's students go on strike unable to take the pressure, and it becomes a national issue.
in Mumbai
where the set of the Saraswati Vidya Mandir school was constructed.
was playing a cameo in the film, even though in all of the trailers and promos of the film, Kapoor was shown as if he was playing the main role. His agent, tried to pull-charges on the director, but Kapoor forced him not to, since he did not have any objection with him being used in the film. Since Shahid Kapoor was suffering through a small loss during that time, he wanted his popularity to get higher, therefore he even started to be the Yash Raj
star, he agreed and continued with all the controversy papers, and made it legal for him to be noted as the main "hero" of the film, even though his role was near 20- to -30 minutes approx.
. The Times of India
also gave the film 3 out of 5 saying, "Go for some serious viewing." AOL India's Noyon Jyoti Parasara gave the film a mere 1.5 out of 5 and said, "Paathshaala does not have a screenplay. And it has bad dialogues made only worse by loud acting by most of the cast." Indiafm's Taran Adarsh
gave the film 2 out of 5 saying, "On the whole, Paathshaala is a well-intentioned film, but lacks clarity thanks to an uninspiring screenplay". Paathshaala was given 1.5 out of 5 by Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN. According to him, "the script includes sheer melodrama and over-exaggeration in its effort to shamelessly manipulate you into caring for its characters".
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
film that stars Ayesha Takia
Ayesha Takia
-Early life:Ayesha was born in Chembur Mumbai, Maharashtra to a Gujarati father, Nishit and a mother of mixed British-Maharashtrian descent, Faridah. She attended St. Anthony's High School in Chembur...
, Ali Haji and Nana Patekar
Nana Patekar
Vishwanath "Nana" Patekar is an Indian actor and filmmaker.-Biography:Born Vishwanath Patekar in Murud-Janjira, Maharashtra, to Dinkar Patekar and his wife Sanjanabai Patekar. He is an alumnus of the Sir J.J...
and is directed by Milind Ukey. Shahid Kapoor
Shahid Kapoor
Shahid Kapoor is an Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films. He is also a trained dancer.Starting off his career by working in music videos and advertisements, Kapoor made his Bollywood debut as a background dancer in Subhash Ghai's Taal . Four years later, he made his acting debut in Ishq...
makes an extended cameo. The film revolves around children set in a school campus. It comments on the Indian education system and its shortcomings. Kapoor plays an English and music teacher in the film. It is inspired by the Marathi film
Marathi cinema
Marathi cinema refers to films produced in the Marathi language in the state of Maharashtra, India. It is the oldest and pioneer film industry in India...
Shaala, also directed by Milind Ukey. The film opened on 16 April 2010 to mixed reviews.
Plot
The story begins with a new English teacher Rahul Prakash Udyavar (Shahid KapoorShahid Kapoor
Shahid Kapoor is an Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films. He is also a trained dancer.Starting off his career by working in music videos and advertisements, Kapoor made his Bollywood debut as a background dancer in Subhash Ghai's Taal . Four years later, he made his acting debut in Ishq...
) joining Saraswati Vidya Mandir school, situated in the Mirpurkhas suburbs. He strikes instant rapport with students and teachers alike.
When Rahul Udyawar unifies the teachers (Ayesha Takia
Ayesha Takia
-Early life:Ayesha was born in Chembur Mumbai, Maharashtra to a Gujarati father, Nishit and a mother of mixed British-Maharashtrian descent, Faridah. She attended St. Anthony's High School in Chembur...
, Sushant Singh
Sushant Singh
Sushant Singh is an Indian actor, born in 1971.-Biography:He hails from Bijnor District in Uttar Pradesh. He did his schooling from a residential public school in Nainital - Birla Vidya Mandir. He did his post graduation in English Literature from Kirori Mal College and was involved with the fine...
) against the atrocities of Cadet college sanghar management, the Principal Aditya Sahay (Nana Patekar
Nana Patekar
Vishwanath "Nana" Patekar is an Indian actor and filmmaker.-Biography:Born Vishwanath Patekar in Murud-Janjira, Maharashtra, to Dinkar Patekar and his wife Sanjanabai Patekar. He is an alumnus of the Sir J.J...
) defends the management decision. This comes as a shocker to the teachers as Mr. Sahay is known for his dedication as an educator for the last 32 years which has built the school's high reputation. The situation becomes graver as school management becomes overambitious with its growth and involves media planners in the extracurricular activities. This demands the involvement of students in TV reality shows and many other media PR activities used for building up the school image in public which starts reflecting on the students' stress levels. The pressure on young minds increases incredibly, leading to unexpected and grim consequences.
Caught in the web of commercialization, the school's students go on strike unable to take the pressure, and it becomes a national issue.
Cast
- Shahid KapoorShahid KapoorShahid Kapoor is an Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films. He is also a trained dancer.Starting off his career by working in music videos and advertisements, Kapoor made his Bollywood debut as a background dancer in Subhash Ghai's Taal . Four years later, he made his acting debut in Ishq...
as Teacher Rahul Prakash Udyavar - Nana PatekarNana PatekarVishwanath "Nana" Patekar is an Indian actor and filmmaker.-Biography:Born Vishwanath Patekar in Murud-Janjira, Maharashtra, to Dinkar Patekar and his wife Sanjanabai Patekar. He is an alumnus of the Sir J.J...
as Principal Aditya Sahay - Ayesha TakiaAyesha Takia-Early life:Ayesha was born in Chembur Mumbai, Maharashtra to a Gujarati father, Nishit and a mother of mixed British-Maharashtrian descent, Faridah. She attended St. Anthony's High School in Chembur...
as Teacher Anjali Mathur - Swini KharaSwini KharaSwini Khara is an Indian child actress. She became known for her role as the mischievous Chaitali in Baa, Bahu aur Baby. This was followed by roles in advertisements for ICICI Bank and Lakme- before acting with Amitabh Bachchan in the movie Cheeni Kum...
as Swini - Dwij YadavDwij YadavDwij Yadav is a child actor in Bollywood . His first release was Nanhe Jaisalmer: A Dream Come True where he played the lead role Nanhe Jaisalmer/Vikram Singh along with a very famous Bollywood actor Bobby Deol. -Filmography:|-External links:...
as Vijay Damodhar - Master Ali Haji as Rohan
- Avika GorAvika GorAvika Gor is an Indian Television child actor, famous for playing Anandi in the show Balika Vadhu.- Filmography :Avika Gor is an Indian Television child actor, famous for playing Anandi in the show Balika Vadhu.- Filmography :...
as Avika - Sushant SinghSushant SinghSushant Singh is an Indian actor, born in 1971.-Biography:He hails from Bijnor District in Uttar Pradesh. He did his schooling from a residential public school in Nainital - Birla Vidya Mandir. He did his post graduation in English Literature from Kirori Mal College and was involved with the fine...
as Vijendra Chauhan - Saurabh ShuklaSaurabh Shukla-Early life:Shukla's family left Gorakhpur for Delhi when he was two years old. After completing his schooling, he did his graduation from Khalsa College, Delhi...
as School Manager - Lallan Sharma - Nassar Abdulla as Trustee Dholakia
- Shraddha Arya as Natasha
- Sanatan Modi as Farooque Sir
- Anjan SrivastavAnjan SrivastavAnjan Srivatsav is an Indian film, television and stage actor, associated with Indian People's Theatre Association in Mumbai of which he remained Vice-President for several years...
as Waghmare - Vicky Ahuja as Rajveer
- Preeti Kopikar as Mrs. Shinde
- Sunny SinghSunny SinghSunny Singh is an Indian writer who was born in Varanasi.an altruist She has worked in a variety of roles as a journalist, teacher, in management for TNCs in Mexico, Chile and South Africa but she abandoned the corporate life for literature...
as Vicky - Sushmita MukherjeeSushmita Mukherjee-Personal life:She was married to director Sudhir Mishra, they later divorced after which she married Actor, Producer and Civil Activist Raaja Bundela and has two children.- Movies :*Rakht Charitra *Christopher Swartz...
as Mrs. Bose - Kainaz MotivalaKainaz MotivalaKainaz Motivala is an Indian actress who appears in Bollywood films.She studied to become a journalist, was a part of the modelling industry, switched her career to acting and is even a published writer.- Filmography :- Television :...
as Shailey
Production
Most of the film was shot at Film CityFilm City
Film City is an integrated film studio complex situated near Sanjay Gandhi National Park at Goregaon, Mumbai in India. It has several recording rooms, gardens, lakes, theatres and grounds that serve as the venue of many Bollywood film shootings. It was built by the state government to provide...
in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
where the set of the Saraswati Vidya Mandir school was constructed.
Music
The audio CD of the film was released in March 2010, and it contains 10 songs, including five original songs, four remixes, and one theme song. The song "Mujhe Teri" is actually based on the Nepali song "Timro Tyo" which was sung by Akanshya Lama. She has also got to sing the Hindi version of the song.- "Aye Khuda" (Salim MerchantSalim-SulaimanSalim Merchant And Sulaiman Merchant are a musical duo of brothers, born and brought up in Bhuj, Kutch, India. They belong to Ismaili Muslim family and are inspired by their father Sadruddin Merchant, who used to lead Ismaili Scouts Orchestra in India..Steeped in a family tradition of music as the...
) - 4:42 - "Khushnuma" (Vishal DadlaniVishal-ShekharVishal-Shekhar are a music directing duo for Hindi films and are among the leading music directors in the industry today...
) - 3:26 - "Bekarar" (Lucky AliLucky AliLucky Ali , born as Maqsood Mehmood Ali , is an Indian singer songwriter, composer and actor. Lucky is best known for his soulful but strikingly simple ballad-style singing and melodious voice.-Biography:...
) - 4:24 - "Mujhe Teri" (Tulsi KumarTulsi KumarTulsi Kumar is an Indian playback singer for Bollywood films.-Early life:Tulsi Kumar is the daughter of the late Gulshan Kumar and the sister of Indian film producer Bhushan Kumar.-Music career:...
, Hanif Sheikh, Akansha Lama) - 4:07 - "Teri Marzi Aye Khuda" (Kailash Kher) - 4:41
- "Aye Khuda - Remix" (Salim Merchant) - 5:29
- "Mujhe Teri - Remix" (Tulsi Kumar, Hanif Sheikh, Akansha Lama) - 4:24
- "Teri Marzi Aye Khuda - Remix" (Kailash Kher) - 4:07
- "Bekarar - Remix" (Lucky Ali) - 4:06
- "Paathshaala - Theme"
Controversy
Many critics, and also the actor himself, noticed that actor Shahid KapoorShahid Kapoor
Shahid Kapoor is an Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films. He is also a trained dancer.Starting off his career by working in music videos and advertisements, Kapoor made his Bollywood debut as a background dancer in Subhash Ghai's Taal . Four years later, he made his acting debut in Ishq...
was playing a cameo in the film, even though in all of the trailers and promos of the film, Kapoor was shown as if he was playing the main role. His agent, tried to pull-charges on the director, but Kapoor forced him not to, since he did not have any objection with him being used in the film. Since Shahid Kapoor was suffering through a small loss during that time, he wanted his popularity to get higher, therefore he even started to be the Yash Raj
Yash Raj Films
Yash Raj Films is an Indian Entertainment company set up by Yash Chopra, an Indian film director and producer who is considered an entertainment mogul in India.-Initial years:...
star, he agreed and continued with all the controversy papers, and made it legal for him to be noted as the main "hero" of the film, even though his role was near 20- to -30 minutes approx.
Critical reception
Paathshaala received mixed reviews from top critics in India. It received 3.5/10 at ReviewGang. It received 3 out of 5 from IndiatimesIndiatimes
Indiatimes is the Internet subsidiary of The Times of India Group, under which, some of the largest websites in India - The Times of India, The Economic Times, Navbharat Times and Maharashtra Times operate....
. The Times of India
The Times of India
The Times of India is an Indian English-language daily newspaper. TOI has the largest circulation among all English-language newspaper in the world, across all formats . It is owned and managed by Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd...
also gave the film 3 out of 5 saying, "Go for some serious viewing." AOL India's Noyon Jyoti Parasara gave the film a mere 1.5 out of 5 and said, "Paathshaala does not have a screenplay. And it has bad dialogues made only worse by loud acting by most of the cast." Indiafm's Taran Adarsh
Taran Adarsh
Taran Adarsh is an Indian film critic, journalist, editor and film trade analyst. He is also a former producer and screenwriter. He is the son of film director and producer, B.K. Adarsh....
gave the film 2 out of 5 saying, "On the whole, Paathshaala is a well-intentioned film, but lacks clarity thanks to an uninspiring screenplay". Paathshaala was given 1.5 out of 5 by Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN. According to him, "the script includes sheer melodrama and over-exaggeration in its effort to shamelessly manipulate you into caring for its characters".