“Hichki Is A Simple, A Meaningful & An Inspiring Film That Stays With You”.
Banner: Yash Raj Films
Producer: Aditya Chopra & Maneesh Sharma
Director: Siddharth P. Malhotra
Star Cast: Rani Mukherji, Supriya Pilgaonkar, Harsh Mayar, Sachin Pilgaonkar, Kunal Shinde, Shivkumar Subramanium, Neeraj Kabi, Ivan Rodrigues, Suprio Bose, Sparsh Khubchandani along with Jannat Zubair Rehmani, Hussian Dalal & Asif Basra
Music: Jasleen Royal & Hitesh–Sonik
Rani Mukherjee has indeed made a smashing comeback almost after 4 years with yet another woman oriented movie Hichki which has been produced by her husband Aditya Chopra under their own home production banner Yash Raj Films & directed by Siddharth P. Malhotra. The film indeed gives out positive & feel good vibes as it is the story about a teacher who turns her biggest weakness into her strength.
The story in tandem with the scripted scenario of Hichki revolves around Naina Mathur (Rani Mukerji) and her earnest struggle to break into her dream career of teaching while battling Tourette’s syndrome. After much trepidation & tussle with management & Principal (Shiv Subramanium) of a fancy public school, Naina Mathur lands a job as a teacher. The glitch here is that she is given a class full of mischief makers as students.
The challenge for Naina Mathur comes in the form of these unruly kids and of course, her own physical shortcoming. First, it starts with the students resisting her efforts, pulling pranks on her, absolutely frustrating her to the point of a breakdown and later it moves on to a great issue. Elitism prevalent in the education sector.
Soon enough it is Naina Mathur’s class of unruly kids from a nearby ghetto vs the privileged students of St. Notker’s High School who “legitimately belong” there. This class of 14 students essentially come from underprivileged background and are a part of the school, only because of the compulsion by the Right To Education Act on the school management.
It is a classic underdog–take–on–the-world and wins kind of situation. What happens when Naina Mathur takes up the challenge to teach this class of rejects is what forms the rest of the story of Hichki.
Director Siddharth P. Malhotra has done an earnest job by creating a heart-warming moments between Naina Mathur and her students who slowly but surely come around to appreciate their teacher’s efforts. Siddharth P. Malhotra takes a simple story but keeps it engaging throughout and that speaks a lot about his talent as a story-teller.
Hichki is inspired by Hollywood flick “Front Of The Class” based on the novella by Brad Cohen, “Front Of The Class: How Tourette Syndrome Made Me The Teacher I Never Had”, co-authored by Lisa Wysocky. The premise is old & films like Hindi Medium & Taare Zameen Par come to mind when one thinks of Hichki.
The film works when it comes to the basic storytelling and holds the attention in the 1st half. While the story is predictable, the screenplay is engaging and keeps you hooked on to its 1st half. Anckur Chaudhry’s dialogue, story & screenplay starts off on a great note. It is sharp, clever, zingy & funny but slips eventually towards 2nd half. Director Siddharth Malhotra has co-written the story & screenplay with Anckur Chaudhry, Ambar Hadap & Ganesh Pandit. Though their intention was genuine, they try too hard to somehow drive the message home towards the end.
Editor Shweta Venkat Mathew does a decent job, though the 2nd half could’ve been tighter. Avinash Arun handles the cinematography well as he plays with his lens to highlight small quirks about the key character of the film. His camera work makes the film look good overall. Music by Jasleen Royal is average. However background score by Hitesh-Sonik is good and goes with the narrative.
What makes Hichki a decent watch really is Rani Mukerji’s effervescent performance and the way she shoulders the film throughout with a renewed zest. Rani Mukherjee is likeable & inspiring and you sure empathize with her cause. She is relentless, spirited and totally right into her character. She does not lose her bearing even once and holds your attention with her amazing screen presence. There is a little “act” in her acting and it makes you wish she did more films. The actors playing her students are true to their characters and do a brilliant job in their bearing of the rebellious turned studious kids. Harsh Mayar playing the role of Aatish stands out. Neeraj Kabi as the disapproving teacher is spectacular. Ivan Rodrigues as the Principal is good. Supriya Pilgaonkar, Kunal Shinde, Shivkumar Subramaniam, Asif Basra, Hussain Dalal, Suprio Bose, Jannat Zubair Rahmani are all fantastic.
Tail Piece: On the whole, Hichki is a simple, meaningful & an inspiring film that stays with you. Rani Mukerji is back in full form and her fans will be immensely impressed.
At the box office, the film will mainly appeal to the younger audiences.
