With a title like Hindi Medium, there always was bound to be great curiosity around the film. T-series unveiled the trailer of Irrfan Khan-starrer Hindi Medium via a Twitter chat. As expected, the film speaks about the struggle of a Delhi based family to get their daughter Pia (played by Dishita Sehgal) admitted to an English medium school. Adding to their woes is the fact that the parents themselves aren't proficient in English.
Grave issues are often best described in lighter vain. So, director Saket Chaudhary’s Hindi Medium is a satirical take on the struggles that parents undergo just to get their child admission to a good English medium school. Given this reality, it was all but natural for the film to be based on true stories.
More than Raj (Irrfan), it is Qamar’s character that has this obsession with English medium schools. So we have Irrfan and Pakistani actress Saba Qamar’s characters doing all that it takes to get their daughter that coveted admission. Remarkably, the two, who are financially well-to-do, even agree to live the life of poor in the hope that Pia could get admission via a quota for the poor. From temple to mosque to church, the parents visit every place of worship to pray for their wish to come true. The mother even conducts a Mata ki Chowki for her prayers to be answered.
Then we have Khan having an SRK moment when he tries to board a speeding train. He has no Simran, but a normal commuter to pull him up. Amrita Singh is seen for brief second where she perhaps is playing a school principal who turns down the parents.
Is des main angrezi zabaan nahi, class hai Raj (English is not a language but a class in this country) – these words by Qamar’s character reveal how English medium schools have become an obsession, and that the language has created a class divide between the English and the non-English speaking children/parents.
Audiences from the '90s will cheer to the sound of pop singer Sukhbir’s Ishq track in the background. Very briefly you hear a little child sing ‘sooraj jaise chamkege, dekhe hai saadi aankhiyan ne aise sapne aamra da, ik zindagi meri, sab khawishan ik ik main puri kara’. With time, we will know the singer behind it, but this little girl wins you over with her innocent and pure voice. The song could become an anthem for kids.
Saket Chaudhary has directed films like Shaadi Ke Side Effects (2014) and Pyaar Ke Side Effects (2006), but with Hindi Medium he opens our eyes to a fresh school of thought.
The film is set to be released on 12 May, where it will compete with Yash Raj Films’ Meri Pyaari Bindu and Ram Gopal Varma’s Sarkar 3. There’s also Ranbir Kapoor’s Jagga Jasoos, but it is likely to get delayed.
Watch the trailer of Hindi Medium below.