A charming and enjoyable film, indeed. The film, a comedy about a couple who will go to any extent to have their daughter enrolled in the best English school in Delhi, starts with no direction and takes far too long to pick up. However, when it does, it is surprising in how traditional it is in terms of its abundant emotional quotient. From then on, it often resorts to sentimentality, but its heart is in the right place. The second half takes an interesting twist where the couple adopt a poor lifestyle in order to qualify for registration from the back door. This part of the film really strains credulity, but interestingly enough, it is the beginning of the best and most engaging part in the film.
The film is a nice commentary on the education system in India, on social classes, on poverty. The most striking quote from the film is said by Deepak Dobriyal: "Living in poverty is an art", namely, it needs to be experienced over the course of generations to be understood and dealt with. This, of course, sounds quite harrowing, but the poor neighbourhood is very well portrayed. Actually, the general feel is so humorous and light that many pitfalls can be forgiven. Towards the end, it grows even more sentimental and the final sequences, particularly the main lead's speech at the end of the show, are done in true Hindi film style of yore - very stagy and a little manipulative.
Hindi Medium works, it's fun and often quite touching. Even if some parts do not ring true, everything is within the film's wholesome context, and above all, it caters to certain sensibilities which foreigners wouldn't grasp. What really elevates it to another level is doubtlessly Irrfan Khan, whose effortless charisma is the film's trump card. He is a real man and a star, and he is funny and convincing in his renowned minimalism. Saba Qamar is wonderful and grows on you throughout the story. Amrita Singh is excellent; her part is more of a caricature, but she can do hardly wrong. It is obviously Deepak Dobriyal who delivers the film's most moving performance. A charming film with a nice morale it is.
The film is a nice commentary on the education system in India, on social classes, on poverty. The most striking quote from the film is said by Deepak Dobriyal: "Living in poverty is an art", namely, it needs to be experienced over the course of generations to be understood and dealt with. This, of course, sounds quite harrowing, but the poor neighbourhood is very well portrayed. Actually, the general feel is so humorous and light that many pitfalls can be forgiven. Towards the end, it grows even more sentimental and the final sequences, particularly the main lead's speech at the end of the show, are done in true Hindi film style of yore - very stagy and a little manipulative.
Hindi Medium works, it's fun and often quite touching. Even if some parts do not ring true, everything is within the film's wholesome context, and above all, it caters to certain sensibilities which foreigners wouldn't grasp. What really elevates it to another level is doubtlessly Irrfan Khan, whose effortless charisma is the film's trump card. He is a real man and a star, and he is funny and convincing in his renowned minimalism. Saba Qamar is wonderful and grows on you throughout the story. Amrita Singh is excellent; her part is more of a caricature, but she can do hardly wrong. It is obviously Deepak Dobriyal who delivers the film's most moving performance. A charming film with a nice morale it is.