Jan 14, 2016 06:22 PM
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We all remember our school days fondly. But sadly, we don’t remember to keep in touch with our teachers. A college professor had once admitted to us(while we were still in college) how she hates that students move out and never bother to keep in touch. Moreover, the students learn from the teachers and go out and earn big bucks. And sadly the guru, especially the ones teaching in schools, never gets their due in terms of pay and sometimes even in terms of respect. Chalk N Duster talks about these issues and much more in a very entertaining manner. With no major release this Friday, Chalk N Duster deserves to be watched at least once for its concept and message.
The story of the movie: Jyoti Thakur(Juhi Chawla) is a vivacious teacher employed in Kantabai Mehta School, Mumbai. She is great friends with Vidya Sawant(Shabana Azmi), an aged Mathematics teacher in the same school. All is going fine until one day Kamini Gupta(Divya Dutta) becomes the principal. She has ambitious plans for the school and wants to make it top-class. However, her means of achieving the goal are unfair but she doesn’t care. The teachers silently suffer until one day things reach a boiling point. That’s when they decide to retaliate but the fight is not going to be easy.
To be honest, Chalk N Duster doesn’t really make an impact from the beginning. The film is a bit over the top at places and from the start to finish, it is riddled with poor production values and bad VFX. The manner in which Kamini unleashes her power and torture in the initial scenes seem unconvincing. What is shown is a reality but somewhere it fails to look convincing. Also Juhi’s mimicry act doesn’t really stand out especially her imitation of Vidya mam. However, the characters are well sketched and most importantly, it tells a very nice, relatable story that everyone can identify with. And that’s a big USP of the film. The film really gets engaging during the recess(read: intermission point). From the second half, the film goes on to another level. The scene where Jyoti gives an interview is very, very touching. Same goes for the scene in the hospital. The writers and director make the maximum impact out here. But the best is yet to come and that happens in the climax. Again, the climax is a bit over the top and even convenient. But its fun and something like this haven’t been seen in any film as far as I remember. It definitely makes for a great watch and even involves the audience nicely. Watch out the film to know exactly what I am trying to imply!
Chalk N Duster rests on the powerpacked performances of Juhi Chawla and Shabana Azmi. Juhi Chawla fails to raise laughs in the mimicking scenes but otherwise, she packs a punch. Her styling is very nice. She rocks the show in the interview sequence. A performance to watch out for! Shabana Azmi as expected does even better. She looks every inch a Maharashtrian teacher – it’s amazing how well she gets into the skin of her character. Hats off! Divya Dutta ensures she maintains a strong position even in the presence of Juhi and Shabana. One instantly forgets the adorable Divya from Veer-Zaara and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and one can’t help but hate Gupta mam for her villainous acts! Richa Chadha(Bhairavi Thakkar) has a whistle worthy entry and although she has a small role, she makes sure it stands out! Zarina Wahab(Indu Shastri) is lovely. Samir Soni(Sunil Thakur) is strictly okay. Girish Karnad(Vidya’s husband) is superb in a small role. Jackie Shroff makes his presence felt. Aarya Babbar(Anmol Parekh) is quite over the top. Upasana Singh(Manjeet) is fine. Rishi Kapoor has an outstanding role in the film and dominates a significant portion of the film. Others do a fine job.
Sandesh Shandilya’s music is okay. Songs don’t add much to the film. Background score however is good. Veteran cinematographer Baba Azmi does a decent job. Ranjeev-Neetu’s story is too good. Dialogues could have been better and more realistic in some places. But in key scenes, it’s very sharp. Screenplay is a bit rough at places but makes a deep impact in the second half. Jayant Gilatar’s direction is simple and he manages to keep viewers engaged. At places, it gives a déjà vu of Paathshaala which is not good news! But he gets back on track soon enough and despite the unconvincing and convenient portions at places, he manages to strike the right chord. A big thank you to him for giving us this great film!
Some of the best scenes:
Vidya mam agrees to teach a Virar lad for free
Teachers find out that the chair is missing
The intermission point
Jyoti gives an interview(outstanding)
Students give their support to Vidya
The climax
On the whole, Chalk N Duster is a lovely film that makes interesting comments about our education system and the state of the teachers especially in government schools. But it’s all done in an entertaining manner. It’s a film that everyone will be able to relate to and will definitely lead to discussions among viewers long after the film is over. It could have been much better and convincing. But it is made with noble intentions and is engaging and hence no complaints as such. Go for it and here’s hoping this film gets tax free status!
