Maassab: Movie Review

Education has been a top priority for the Indian Government right since Independence. To make education accessible in most places in India, several government schools were formed, so that the villagers and poor people can send their kids to schools. Maassab explores the story of one such school. Does it succeed or falter? Let’s analyze.

Synopsis

Maassab tells the story of a high-ranking administrator who quits his job to teach the children of rural India. The obstacles he faces from a society entrenched in dogma, superstition, feudalism, and corruption form the crux of the story.

Direction

A director is the captain of the ship and Aditya Om proves that confidently. His direction is matured, layered, and he deserves a special mention for his depiction of emotional scenes. The last half-hour shows his mastery over the filmmaking art.

Technical Aspects

Cinematography by Shrikant Asati is apt and captures the beauty of the village perfectly. Background score by Sudesh Sawant is good. Editing by Prakash Jha is to the point. Story and screenplay by Aditya Om and Shiva Suryavanshi are the highlights of the film. Kudos to the writers and makers for sticking to the plot and showing the naked reality and wrong things happening in Govt. Schools so bluntly!! Another good aspect of the film is that it does not become preachy.

Performances

Shiva Suryavanshi as Ashish Kumar excels totally in the main role. His innocence and his handling of emotional scenes especially when one of his students give a speech in a debate competition in a private school are a treat to watch out for. His character demanded calmness and tranquillity and he does a fine job. Sheetal Singh lends worthy support and looks eternally beautiful as a village girl. Manveer Chaudhary is awesome in his part. Special mention to the child artists who act too innocently and beautifully in the film!! Rest of the cast has also done a decent job.

WMR Verdict

Some films are entertaining and some are enlightening. Maassab falls in the latter category. It shows the weakness of our system and the journey of a teacher whose only passion of life is to give good education to the children of our country. It's a tribute to all the great teachers of our country and a must-see film.

WMR Rating: 4.0/5.0

Review Credits: Tapan Pattani