“Ab samay badal chuka hai. Raja ka beta hi raja nahi banega. Jo yogya hai woh banega!”
A triumph of the human spirit, the vociferous fight of an underdog – these are the noble themes that Vikas Bahl’s Super 30 deals with.
Hrithik Roshan plays Anand Kumar – the mathematician who has changed the fortunes of hundreds of underprivileged students by teaching them free of cost and preparing them for competitive exams like IIT-JEE.
Super 30 opens with one of Anand’s former students remembering him fondly for his selfless service and the narrative then takes us to Patna of the mid ’90s . Young Anand is a brilliant student who even manages to get admission in Cambridge University.
However, circumstances conspire and Anand has to give up his dreams and take care of his family when his father suddenly passes away.
One can’t help but be moved by Anand’s plight.
Now, a film set in Patna that’s documenting the social and economic struggle of someone with a lot of aspirations but not enough resources, needs a certain degree of authenticity.
In this department, while the ensemble cast is terrific, Hrithik’s lavishly applied bronzer and a now-there-now-gone accent are distracting.
Pankaj Tripathi, an absolute magician in front of the camera, transforms himself yet again as a slimy smooth-talking politician. His scenes with Aditya Srivastava, who plays the coaching centre head, are arresting and engaging.
Virendra Saxena as Anand’s loving father and Vijay Varma as one of his ex-students who has grown up, are particularly fantastic.
This is where the film truly comes alive. The underprivileged kids that Anand wants to guide are a robust lot – their vulnerabilities, insecurities and never-say-die attitude make them believable. We want to see them win and cheer for them.
This is where the film truly comes alive. The underprivileged kids that Anand wants to guide are a robust lot – their vulnerabilities, insecurities and never-say-die attitude make them believable. We want to see them win and cheer for them. However, a discordant note is struck each time Hrithik speaks in an accent that makes him look like he is trying too hard.
At 154 minutes, the indulgent pace of Super 30 further adds to our woes. Mrunal Thakur, who is only present in a couple of scenes, does what she has been asked to do. The songs are more of a distraction than anything else.
Somehow, Hrithik seems alien in the very surroundings he should ideally look an indispensable part of.
Sadly, this proves to be the Super 30’s biggest weakness. His on-screen brother is the popular television actor Nimish Sandhu, who is fairly good even though he looks burdened with all that skin darkening make up. Still, Super 30 deserves to be seen for everything that it gets right.
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