A rickshaw-puller from Bihar dreaming about sending his 14-year-old son to a fancy English medium school, in the process jeopardising his own life - Pareeksha, written and directed by Prakash Jha and streaming on Zee5 from 6 August, recounts a tale that Bollywood is quite familiar to.
Buchi Paswan (Adil Hussain), a resident of Ambedkar colony, has been ferrying kids from affluent backgrounds to Sapphire International School, while his extremely bright son Bulbul (Shubham Jha) studies in a government school wherein teachers seldom have the time to take their own classes. Day in and day out when Buchi listens to children rattling off sentences in impeccable English, he is convinced that Sapphire is the stepping stone for Bulbul’s glamorous future. But neither Buchi nor his wife Radhika (Priyanka Bose), who toils day in and day out in a factory, have the means to open the doors that are firmly locked with the keys of privilege.
A chance tryst with destiny shows Buchi and his wife a ray of hope. They somehow manage to enrol Bulbul in Sapphire (despite facing strong resistance from the management) but the real ‘test’ for the family is yet to begin. Despite passing a rigorous interview with flying colours, Bulbul realises that making an impact on certain teachers who refuse to look beyond his background and befriending classmates who smirk and laugh at his inability to communicate in English is anything but a cakewalk.
On the other hand, meeting the innumerable expenses that come with admission to any ‘elite’ school push both the parents to the wall.
Desperate times call for desperate measures, and Buchi becomes a victim of circumstances. As one wrong decision lands him in jail, his son too has to face the consequences.
Pareeksha lays bare the wide gulf that exists in our society, with one section being crushed if they dare to even spell out their dreams.
“Do the rich only have the right to dream”, Bulbul asks his snobbish classmates and the divide couldn’t have been clearer.
It dwells upon the yawning class divide that prevents a large section of India’s population from accessing even basic needs such as education and healthcare facilities. Though shot before the coronavirus pandemic hit the country, Prakash Jha’s film resonates with the situation that has plagued those who aren’t financially strong. With everyone locked in their homes and technology becoming a huge differentiator in the way we navigate through daily situations, countless children are being deprived of their regular classes because internet connectivity is a luxury that has been reserved for a chosen few.
Bulbul’s honest efforts to groom himself and polish his English are also met with condescension.
Books are expensive, coaching classes that his school provides are out of the question and then there’s the nagging worry of his parents bleeding themselves out to make ends meet.
In such a situation, where Buchi is facing a trial for a crime, a saviour comes into Bulbul’s life in the form of an IPS officer (played by Sanjay Suri). Based on officer Abhyanand, who coached kids from financially weak backgrounds and ensured that they have an equal footing in society, this cop too takes time out from his busy schedule to teach kids from the slum. Though the caste of the residents hasn’t been explicitly stated, that they hail from Ambedkar Colony is enough to make us understand the hierarchies on which people are categorised and trampled upon. Arakshan was one such movie that explained in great detail how ‘important’ caste is in our country in shaping our perceptions of individuals.
Another aspect that Pareeksha highlights is the undue importance we place on English. The film opens with Buchi asking a student, “How you, son?”, to which the kid proudly shows off, “Again you are wrong, uncle! It should be how are you.” And then he gangs up with his friends to make the rickshaw-puller sing in broken English just for a few laughs. The language yet again becomes a weapon to mock Bulbul (who has studied in a Hindi medium institution) when his English teacher recites a poem by Coleridge, all the while making sure he belittles the student by harping on the fact that he isn’t ‘cultured’ enough to even step inside the glitzy Sapphire.
The distinction between state and national boards are also focussed on. Buchi develops a growing bitterness towards the former as he sees his neighbour, despite graduating from a government school with decent marks, being forced to drag his bicycle and sell books.
It’s only when the Superintendent of Police makes him understand that it is merit which ultimately counts that Buchi begins to see through the shallow system.
Despite releasing at a time when all these issues are hitting us with renewed force, Pareeksha lacks the sharpness of narration. As the film progresses, it becomes unnecessarily preachy and problems are solved by batting an eyelid.
The complexities of the education system, students being pressurised to run the rat race, unequal opportunities - they are touched upon but never hit us hard.
Also, unnecessary drama robs the film of subtle nuances.
Adil Hussain is impressive as Buchi. Pulling a rickshaw is no easy task, and throughout the film Adil gives an effortless performance. The struggle to ensure that his son is raised comfortably even if it means breaking his back, the constant fear that his attempts might not be enough for Bulbul and the determination of going to any extent not thinking about the consequences - Adil plays Buchi with conviction.
At times, he does succumb to overdoing his performance but more than makes up for it. Adil is supported by an equally strong Priyanka, a mother who is brave, protective and is ready to share every storm with her husband. Shubham, though, fails to stay with us. His Bulbul is relentless, but the expressions a dampener.
Pareeksha has been made with good intentions, but does not touch the heart.
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