Aarakshan
Aarakshan is a 2011 Indian Hindi-language drama film starring Amitabh Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan, Manoj Bajpayee, Deepika Padukone, and Prateik Babbar. Directed by Prakash Jha, the film is a socio-political drama based on the controversial policy of caste based reservations in Indian government jobs and educational institutions. The film was released on 12 August 2011 to mostly mixed reviews. It was an average success at the box office.
Plot
In 2008, Deepak Kumar (Saif Ali Khan)
an MSc topper, is at an interview for the teacher's post at an affluent school.
The interviewers turn him down when they discover his low-caste roots. Deepak
relates the incident to his mentor, Dr. Prabhakar Anand (Amitabh
Bachchan). Dr Anand, the legendary principal of renowned STM
college, where Deepak studied, offers Deepak an interim job as a teacher at
STM. Deepak is comforted by his friend, Sushant (Prateik
Babbar), an upper-caste boy, and his girlfriend Poorvi (Deepika
Padukone), who is Dr. Anand's daughter.
The state minister, Baburam, wishes to enroll his no-good
nephew at STM. Dr. Anand however, turns him down. The minister decides to
install his own man, Mithilesh Singh (Manoj
Bajpayee), on the STM college board. Cunning and greedy, Mithilesh
seeks only to enrich himself. The minister's grand ambition is to build a
multi-billion educational conglomerate, and plans to use Mithilesh's outside
business—a coaching class—for it.
The Supreme Court grants reservations
for Other Backward Classes. A large crowd of STM
students, boisterously celebrating the ruling, arrive at the gates of STM and
start a ruckus. Sushant gathers a group of upper-caste boys and tries to drive
off the revellers. Dr. Anand hauls Deepak and Sushant, but is shocked to find
that Deepak has turned on him. Poorvi later confronts Deepak and orders him to
apologise to her father, but he refuses, leading to their break-up.
The backward classes welcome reservations because it provides
additional opportunities for education. The upper classes are against
reservations because they do not believe in effectiveness of Reservation
System. These arguments are played out between Sushant and Deepak. The moderate
STM administrators are afraid that college-level reservations may create
conflicts between the students. When asked by a reporter, Dr. Anand shares his
personal opinion – that some form of reservation, free of politics and
economics, is good for society. The next day's headlines scream that Dr. Anand
favours reservations. The STM board is outraged; Dr. Anand is warned that
Mithilesh will use this to oust him. Dr. Anand resigns from STM, and Mithilesh
is appointed as the new principal. Sushant soon realizes that Dr. Anand's
intention is not bad and that he does not have caste feeling.
Dr. Anand to his shock finds that his house is being used for
K.K coaching classes, which is linked to Mithilesh. Earlier Dr. Anand signs an
agreement that he will be the guarantee for the bank loan taken by his friend,
and allows his friend's sons to stay in that house for 2 years but they use it
to earn money by allowing K.K coaching classes inside the house. Dr. Anand's
house lands in civil court case and no lawyer is ready to go against Mithilesh.
Meanwhile, Deepak who is in USA finds that Dr. Anand has resigned from STM,
immediately comes to India, enraged Deepak goes to that house and takes law
into his own hands by trying to evacuate people related to K.K coaching
classes. Police arrest Deepak, but later Deepak is released on bail by Sushant.
Dr Anand resolves to take out Mithilesh with the only weapon
left: teaching. He approaches his friend, Shambhu the cowherd, and takes
shelter at the tabela (cowshed).
He begins teaching small groups of needy and backward students from the bastee (nearby neighbourhood), at the
cowshed. His first success is Muniya (Aanchal
Munjal), Shambhu's daughter who comes in first place at the board
exam. Muniya's principal offers to send more students to Dr. Anand's tabela school. Deepak and Sushant
return to Dr. Anand and join forces, teaching at the tabela school. The tabela students
fare much better at the exams than their classmates. The tabela school's reputation grows and
begins to draw away students at Mithilesh's coaching class.
Mithilesh responds by obtaining a legal permit to demolish the cowshed. The situation is diffused by the arrival of Shakuntala Tai, the reclusive magnate who started the STM institutions. She calls the chief minister, who promptly averts the destruction of the cowshed. Mithilesh is dismissed, and Dr. Anand is installed as the chief trustee of the STM and lifelong principal of the newly created STM Remedial Center.
Cast
·
Amitabh
Bachchan as Dr. Prabhakar Anand
·
Saif Ali Khan as
Deepak Kumar
·
Manoj
Bajpayee as Mithilesh Kumar Singh, the main antagonist
·
Deepika
Padukone as Poorvi Anand
·
Prateik
Babbar as Sushant Seth
·
Tanvi Azmi as
Kavita Anand, Dr. Prabhakar's wife
·
Mukesh Tiwari as
ACP Shaktinath Thakur
·
Yashpal Sharma as Shambhunath Yadav
·
Darshan Jariwala as
Anirudh Prasad Chaudhary
·
Rajeev Verma as
Damodar Seth, Sushant's father
·
Saurabh
Shukla as Education Minister Baburam Tiwari
·
Sonal Jha as
Shanti Bua
·
Amitosh
Nagpal as Panditji
·
Hema Malini as
Shakuntala Thakral (Tai)-guest appearance, Central Minister
·
Chetan Pandit as
Professor Dinkar
·
Indira Tiwari as
Tabela Topper Student
·
Vinay Apte as
local MLA
·
Aanchal
Munjal as Muniya S. Yadav
·
Rahul
Daksh as Surendar
·
Sumeet Vyas as
Teacher
·
Sachin
Chaubey
·
Amit
Singh Thakur as Principal
·
Deepraj Rana as
Sanjay Tandon
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