Teachers on-screen
Bollywood movies have always drawn inspiration from real life, be it on any subject. One such subject is the portrayal of the teacher-student bonds on the silver screen. On Teachers’ Day, here is a look at few of the inspirational movies on teachers.
Reminiscing about those school and college days memories, we not only remember our friends but also some of the beautiful memories that we shared with our teachers. The scoldings and punishments that we got from our teachers, has become our fondest memories from those days.
Bollywood has not only provided us with many touching tales of student-teacher bond but has also portrayed some of the iconic characters where we get to see the sacrifices made by the teachers for their students. Be it the strict authoritarian principals in Mohabbatein, Munna Bhai MBBS and 3 Idiots or the extremely supportive teachers in Taare Zameen Par and Hichki, Bollywood has never failed to portray the bond in its truest form.
On this Teachers’ day let’s take a look at few of the Bollywood movies which have made quite an impression on the audience with their depiction of the teacher-student relationship.
Black (2005)
The movie drew inspiration from Hellen Kellar’s life
Inspired by Helen Keller’s life, Black saw Amitabh Bachchan play the tough teacher Debraj Sahni to a deaf-blind girl Michelle McNally portrayed by Rani Mukerji. He portrays the role of a strict teacher who used stern methods to help the girl realise her potential when even her family had given up hopes on her. The film shows how a teacher helped the girl to overcome her disabilities and achieve her goals.
Iqbal (2005)
Another movie where the coach helps a deaf-mute boy to realise his dream of being a cricketer, this Nagesh Kukunoor film won the National Film Award. Though filled with talent, Iqbal, played by Shreyas Talpade faces setbacks due to his disabilities and lack of finance. Naseeruddin Shah, plays the role of a former bowler who agrees to train him and guides him to get selected in the Indian team.
The film raised awareness about dyslexia and prompted more open discussions
Taare Zameen Par (2007)
Directed by Aamir Khan, the movie explores the life and imagination of Ishaan Awasthi, an eight year old dyslexic boy played by Darsheel Safary. It is Aamir Khan in the role of Art teacher Ram Shankar Nikumbh who not only helps the boy overcome his disability by adopting unconventional teaching methods but also brings a change in the attitude of the parents towards him.
Paathshaala (2010)
In this movie, Shahid Kapoor plays an English teacher who unifies the teachers to raise their voice against the atrocities of the school management. The film also showed the extreme pressure the students face due to the increased commercialisation of schools and how the teachers help them face those challenges.
This film showed an aspiring teacher having Tourette syndrome, who must prove herself by educating a group of underprivileged students.
Hichki (2018)
Hichki showed the struggle of a teacher in a new school due to her speech defect from a rare nervous disorder called Tourette syndrome, where she breaks into hiccups midway sentences. It is an inspirational story of Naina Mathur, played by Rani Mukerji, who aspires to be a teacher despite her disability and stands her ground to make the world realise her worth and potential. She is hired to teach a class of unruly children belonging to the underprivileged section of the society. As the class warms up towards her, she teaches them to be brave in their pursuit of knowledge and helps them realize their individual strengths.
This biographical film showed how the Super 30 educational programme began
Super 30 (2019)
This recently released film is based on the life of Anand Kumar, an Indian mathematician who quit his job as a teacher in a top coaching centre to teach underprivileged kids. The movie showed the ups and downs of his journey to complete this mission, the hardships he faces to offer the students tuition so that they can secure a seat at the coveted IITs.
